Roswell Fanatics

Graduation didn't go as planned for this group of podsters living in an alternate dimension. Liz awakens from a coma to learn that she alone survived… until clues suggest that the graves of the others might actually be empty.

Everything up until graduation happened here the same as in the show, except that Tess and Nasedo never showed up in Roswell. Consequently, there was no Max/Tess relationship, no baby, and Alex is still alive. Beginning with graduation, though, their story takes a deadly turn, one that will call on all of Liz’s faith, will, love, and determination in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds to get to the bottom of.

The Night The Dreams Died is inter-related with the Altered Time series, and though it can be read separately, it unfolds alongside The Four Faces of Rath, at the same time as that story. In fact, the two groups briefly come together in both storylines. I generally recommend reading The Night The Dreams Died before reading The Four Faces Of Rath. It will give you a fuller understanding of that part of The Four Faces Of Rath, and it will allow you to enjoy The Night The Dreams Died without spoilers.

The creators of Roswell, especially Melinda Metz and Jason Katim, deserve the credit for the Roswell concept and pre-existing characters and any mention of events that occurred during the TV series. Anything else, for better or worse, is my own vision.

Happy reading!


Gerry

The Night The Dream Died



Awake

Chapter 1

I



Liz opened her eyes and looked around. It might have been like any other morning, but it wasn’t. She wasn’t sure how she knew this. Maybe it was just a feeling. Maybe it was because her memories were so foggy. Maybe it was because her room didn’t look like her room. She looked at the walls. They were white. The strange thing is, she couldn’t remember what color they were supposed to be. But something in her was sure that it wasn’t white. It had an unfamiliar feel to it.

Liz turned her head to the other side. Ouch! She must have been sleeping very badly. Her neck hurt when she tried to turn it. She tried again, this time forcing herself to move the sore muscles. That’s when her eyes met the other woman’s. It was hard to say which one was more surprised.

“Who are you,” Liz started to say, but her mouth felt like cotton, and her tongue refused to move. Something mumbled did come out though, and the other woman ran from the room calling for “Mister Parker.”

Within seconds, Jeff Parker was in the room… with Nancy close behind him. Then the other woman came back in.

“She’s awake, Mister Parker! Your daughter is awake! She spoke!”

“Liz?” Jeff looked into Liz’s eyes, and Nancy held Liz’s hand in hers and wiped a tear from her own eye.

“Liz, can you hear me?”

“Yeah, Dad, sure I hear you.” Okay, that didn’t exactly sound like it was meant to. Liz moved her tongue around slowly in her mouth. It felt like she had been given Novocain and her tongue was still numb. What came out sounded more like, “Yay-duh… Shy ear you.” There was nothing wrong with her ears. Something must have made her tongue swell.

“It’s alright, Lizzie. You don’t have to talk. Just relax,” Jeff said. “Can you nod your head?”

“Yeh Da’.” This wasn’t going to be easy. “Da’… con I ‘ve s’wabber.”

“Get her some water,” Jeff said to the other woman. “Just a little in a cup.”

The woman nodded and hurried off to find some water. Well, at least her Dad had understood her. Whatever was happening, she could talk. Not very well… but maybe that would change when she got some water to moisten her tongue with. She hoped so anyway.

The woman returned moments later with the water, and Jeff held it for Liz as she sipped it. Her throat felt parched, and it was hard to swallow. She gagged on the first swallow.

“It’s alright, Lizzie,” Jeff said. “Go a little slower. Here. Try it again.”

Liz took another sip. This time it went down. It felt good… so cool in her throat… on her tongue, too. Her tongue moved more freely now and felt a bit less heavy. But her throat still ached.

“Daddy?”

“Yeah, Lizzie! I’m here!”

“Whe’m… where am I?”

“You’re at home, Lizzie. You’re in your room.”

“No… S’nah my room.”

“It’s changed,” Nancy reminded Jeff softly. Jeff nodded.

“We had your room painted and redone for you before you came home, Lizzie. We wanted it to be…” Jeff’s voice trailed off. “If you don’t like it, we can put it back like it was.”

Liz didn’t answer. She was having trouble remembering how it had been… how it was supposed to look. She just knew that this wasn’t it. This was all too… clinical.

“Da… Daddy?”

“Yes, Lizzie?”

“Wha’s wron’ w’me? Why can’ I talk?”

Jeff looked at Liz for a moment. He seemed to have no immediate answer to give her.

“Damn,” Jeff said silently to himself. He had had four months… four months and ten days, to be exact… to think of what he should say when she woke up… if she woke up. Why hadn’t he planned for something as simple as this before now?

Jeff shook his head slowly. “Don’t think about that now, Lizzie. We’re here for you. That’s what’s important. Everything’s going to be alright.”

Liz rolled her head back and stared at the ceiling. Even the ceiling looked different.

“Dad… I hab to know. I ca’t move my arms.” Liz made another effort, exploring any possibility of getting out of the bed.

“Did I hab… an acciden’?

Jeff nodded slightly then shook his head. “No, Lizzie. It wasn’t your fault. Nothing you did.”

“I ca’t move my legs.”

Jeff closed his eyes momentarily and his lips started to quiver. He quickly pursed his lips together in an effort to mask his emotions, but Liz noticed.

“I… I can’t move, Dad… can I…”

Jeff tried to smile at Liz through the tears forming in his eyes.

“You’ve been asleep, Liz. We weren’t sure what you would be able to do. We still aren’t. But the doctors said…” Jeff swallowed and his voice trailed off again.

It wasn’t necessary for him to continue. Liz understood.

“Can I ‘ve s’more wat’r?”

“Sure.” Jeff held the cup for Liz, and she took a couple more swallows. Her throat was starting to feel almost human again. But it still ached dully. And her stomach ached slightly, as though it were unaccustomed to having anything in it.

“What happened to me, Dad? I need to know. Please. Am I… going to be able to move my legs or arms again?”

Jeff looked at Liz, and she could see the intense caring –and the pain- in his eyes. She saw it in her mother’s, too. This was obviously very hard on them. For a moment, Liz forgot about herself.

“It’s alright, Dad. If it’s too painful, you don’t have to tell me right now.”

That seemed to be the last chink in the wall holding the waters back. Jeff broke down and began to cry. After he managed to find his voice again, he looked at Liz and held her and Nancy’s hands together in his. Then, steeling himself, he looked directly into Liz’s eyes with a deep earnestness.

“You were shot, Lizzie… at your graduation.”

Thoughts began to flood back into Liz’s mind, and she gasped, as the memories began to return.

“Graduation… I was at the graduation… with… with… you and mom… and…”

“Max! Where’s Max?”

Jeff didn’t answer.

“I have to know,” Liz said, her voice trembling. “And Isabel…”

Jeff licked his lips slightly but shook his head.

“Are they…?”

“I’ll read you the story out of the paper if you want,” Jeff said softly. I still have it.”

Jeff reached over and took a folded newspaper from a drawer and opened it to the front page.

“The headline… this was the day after your graduation… The headline says, “Military commandoes shoot up high school graduation ceremony in Roswell. Five killed. Scores more injured.”

Jeff looked up at Liz to gauge her reaction and see if he should continue. Then he looked down at the paper in his hand again…

“West Roswell High School seniors, with thoughts of their future running through their heads, were marching onto the stage to receive their diplomas yesterday, when suddenly their world came crashing down around them in a hail of high-powered gun fire. The bizarre incident, which was blamed on a crazed group of ex-military commandoes who had been on a drinking binge earlier in the night, left four students and the principal of West Roswell High dead and injured scores more. Many of the injured were hurt accidentally in the panic to escape, as others around them fell mortally wounded…”

“Max?” Liz whispered.

Jeff swallowed silently.

“Isabel?”

Jeff swallowed again but did not reply.

“Michael? Michael wasn’t there… was he?”

Jeff looked at the paper again and continued to read…

“The evening took an unusual turn early on, when the lights in the room suddenly went out, leaving all the guests in the dark. Guest speaker, Bryce McCain, a three-time Hugo award winning science fiction novelist, had been getting ready to speak when one of the graduating seniors, Maxwell Evans, came to the microphone in an apparent effort to reassure and calm the uneasy guests and students. Some students reported seeing a red dot appear and disappear on Evans’ head and chest and on the heads and chests of some other students in the room as Evans spoke. At some point in Evans’ impromptu speech, gunfire broke out and a motorbike burst through the doors and up onto the stage, pulling up next to Evans, who jumped on the back with the driver, identified as Michael Guerin, also a student at West Roswell High. The bike spun around and sped back down the stairs and out through the doors it had come in, but Guerin and Evans were apparently struck by several high-powered rifle shots fired from inside the ventilation ducts as they exited. Guerin was able to drive his bike a couple of miles before losing consciousness. The bodies of both Guerin and Evans were found two hours later at the edge of town, where the bike had crashed.

In addition to Max Evans and Michael Guerin, the shooting took the life of the school’s principal, Dr. Martin Van Der Shul, and of graduating seniors, Isabel Evans, who by coincidence, was the sister of Max Evans, and Maria DeLuca…”

Liz gasped, and tears came to her eyes. “Maria? Why Maria? She wasn’t…”

“She wasn’t what, Lizzie?”

“One of them.”

Jeff nodded. “I’m sorry, Liz.”

Jeff was silent for a few moments. “Are you sure you want to hear more of this?”

Liz nodded.

Jeff looked at the paper again.

“The incident left scores of students and family members injured, most of them as a result of the panic that ensued during the gunfire. However, three students were grazed by gunfire apparently intended for the seniors who died in the siege, and one student, Elizabeth Parker, was shot in the head and back. Miss Parker remains in extremely critical condition this morning at Roswell General Hospital, where she was flown by helicopter after the incident.

In the panic and confusion that followed the shootings, the shooters escaped. However, a number of witnesses were able to provide descriptions of the suspects, including a detailed description of the special military uniforms and service patches that the shooters were wearing. Urgent calls from the sheriff and press to the governor and to officials at the local military base resulted in the suspects being apprehended quickly by military police. A spokesperson for General Haggerty, at the army base, told this paper that the men responsible had been on a drinking binge earlier in the night and believed that they were raiding a Viet Cong encampment. The spokesperson said that the army would be handling their trials, which would be closed to the public, and that all those involved would likely receive court-martials.”

Liz closed her eyes. “Court-martials.”

“I know,” Jeff said. “It doesn’t seem like enough for what they did.”

“It’s not that, Dad. It’s not enough. But they won’t get court-martials. They’ll probably get medals.”

“They shot innocent kids… high school seniors at their graduation, Lizzie! They can’t just get away with that.”

“They already did get away with it, Dad.”

“Jeff…” Nancy put her hand on Jeff’s arm. “You’re upsetting her. She just came out of a coma. She isn’t going to remember everything, and her thoughts may be a little… jumbled at first. Let her rest.”

Jeff nodded, and his voice quivered. “Sorry, Lizzie. I just… I just love you… so much…” He took a deep breath to calm his voice, “…and I have a hard enough time thinking they only got court-martials for all the suffering they caused. But there are a lot better things we should be talking about right now, honey. I’ll get Doctor Jennings to look at you in the morning. Now that you’re awake, maybe they can run some new tests that will help you walk again. You’re going to, you know!”

Liz smiled. She couldn’t feel or move her legs or her arms. She couldn’t even feel her hands or fingers, and she wasn’t sure if she could move them or not. But at this one small moment in time, she had one good feeling… the feeling of being loved. That would have to buy her some time… until the realities… and the losses… set in.



tbc


Author’s note: In the near future, look for the army to try to rectify its single “mistake…” its unfinished business. And the army won’t be the only problem facing Liz as she tries to regain some semblance of a life in Roswell. Not everyone is happy with the army’s unusual interest in Roswell, and specifically, in Liz Parker. Also, continue to read “The Four Faces of Rath.” That story and this one will prove to be inter-related soon, though probably not in a way you would expect. We’ll leave it at that. This story will seem to be a radical departure from the “Altered Time” series theme, and in a way, it is. While the other stories run consecutively, in a linear fashion, this one runs separately but is –or will soon prove to be- inter-related.

The Night The Dreams Died



A Walk In The Park

Chapter 2

II



“You told me this was already handled. That’s why I called you in the first place. I like things to be done right… the first time! I expect it!”

“It would have been, General. I had no way of knowing that the girl’s father would pull her out of West Roswell General and take her home with no advance warning.”

“Are you sure your man on the inside wasn’t compromised?”

“I’m sure, General. The father pulled her out when she took a turn for the worse. That’s all. Her departure was… unexpected. He hired a private nurse, and he’s using his own doctors now.”

“I’m sure you have some way to get around that. You told me there was no chance of her ever coming out of the coma.”

“There wouldn’t have been, sir, if she had stayed there for just one more day… two at the most. The matter was being… handled.”

“Well, the situation has changed now. The girl is talking. You know what that can mean. Press problems… and other problems. I do not want to be called before Congress to explain this, Barker! So handle it quickly! And this time, Barker, do it right!”

The phone went dead, as the general hung up on Joe Barker, ad hoc leader of the Special Unit. The “Unit” didn’t officially exist since Congress disbanded it after Nasedo, masquerading as the deceased Agent Pierce, testified that all their “proof” of alien presence on Earth was bogus. But the General still had contact with its former members, and the team still stood ready to answer any call to “duty.” Nasedo had disappeared shortly after that.

Three days had passed since Liz had awakened from the coma she had been in for the last four months, and already she was exploring the limits of her physical capabilities. These weren’t very numerous at the present time. She found that she was able to move her fingers and, to some degree, her hands, but her arms felt as though they were simply too heavy to lift, and her legs seemed hopelessly useless. Still, she counted it as a blessing that she could actually feed herself, albeit with some difficulty. She had to have her arm propped up so that she could reach her mouth just by moving her fingers and hand between the bowl and her face.

“Dad, did Kyle or Alex either one say where they were going after graduation?”

“Not to me, Lizzie. I don’t know if they told anyone else or not. I’m sure Alex’s parents must know… and I imagine Sheriff Valenti knows where Kyle went. I don’t think they’re making their whereabouts public knowledge, though. A lot of people around here are still jittery after what happened to the class of 2002.”

“Yeah… but I’ll bet you could find out, Dad. Sheriff Valenti trusts you. So do the Whitmans.”

Jeff smiled. “I’ll see what I can do, Lizzie. I guess having some contact with others from your class… who were there… could be good for you.”

“Yeah, Dad, it would be.”

“Dad?”

“Yeah, Liz?”

“Where are… I mean… where is, you know… where did they bury Max… and Isabel… and Maria?”

Jeff’s face showed strain as he looked back at Liz.

“In the New Haven Cemetery, I think. Liz, you’re not in any shape to be…”

“I know, Dad. I know. But I wanted to know. Maybe soon…”

Jeff nodded and tried to give Liz a smile. “Yeah, maybe soon… when you’re a little better… if you want to…”

Liz tugged at the IV tube that led to her arm. “This can go, Dad. I don’t think I need this anymore.”

Jeff smiled, this time more genuinely. “I’ll see what Doc Jennings says. If he says it’s alright, I’ll have Vera take it out for you. You just got rid of the feeding tube yesterday, Lizzie. Don’t try to hurry things too much. I want you off all this, too, but I want you to have the very best treatment, as well.”

“Vera takes good care of me, Dad. And you and Mom are the best. I can handle it. I just want all of this gone.”

Jeff nodded. “I can understand that. I’ll ask the doc what he thinks… today.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

As Jeff turned to walk out of the room, there was a knock on the door. He looked out the window to see who it was then opened the door.

“Sheriff! We were just talking about you!”

“Well, I reckon that explains why my ears were ringin.”

Jeff laughed. “Come on in, Sheriff. I guess you’ve heard the news.”

“Yeah, I heard. Liz is awake. That’s wonderful news, Jeff. You don’t know how glad and thankful I am for you.”

“Thanks, Sheriff.”

“Just Jim. We don’t need to be formal, Jeff.”

“Jim.” Jeff nodded. “You want to see Liz? We were just talkin’ about you… and Kyle.”

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Follow me.”

Having overheard the conversation, Liz was prepared when Sheriff Valenti walked into her room.

“Hi, Sheriff. Thanks for coming to see me.”

“Well, now, Liz, you know I couldn’t stay away after I heard you were back awake. I been keepin’ track of how you were doin’. It’s really good to see you lookin’ so good.”

“You don’t have to push it, Sheriff. I know I look like a scarecrow.”

Jim laughed. “No you don’t, Liz. Trust me. You’ve gotta get outta that bed before you can scare any crows. Right now they’d walk all over you.”

“You’re probably right, Sheriff. I’ll work on that.”

“I know you will. And you’ll make it, too.”

“Thanks, Sheriff.”

“And you don’t look like a scarecrow, Liz. You look like a little girl. A very determined little girl, of course.

Liz nodded and smiled. “Sheriff, I was wondering what Kyle is doing now…”

“Well, now, you see, that’s sort of part of the reason I’m here right now. Kyle wanted me to bring you this.” Jim handed Liz a sealed envelope.

“A letter?”

“You want me to open it for you?”

“Would you?”

Jim tore open the envelope and handed it back to Liz.

“Kyle wanted to come himself… see how you were doing… but…”

Liz nodded. “I know, Sheriff. It’s better this way… right now.”

“Yeah.”

Liz took the letter out of the envelope and unfolded it with her fingers. After a few moments she refolded it and put it back in the envelope then stuck it where she could reach it again under her pillow.

“Have you heard any information about Alex, Sheriff?”

“Las Cruces. He’s plannin’ on goin’ to college there. The family’s not tellin’ just everybody where he went, though.”

“Sheriff?”

“Yeah?”

“You know, those guys that shot… us… Max and me… and Maria and Isabel… did they have a trial?”

“You shouldn’t be worryin’ yourself over such stuff right now, Liz…”

Liz gave Jim a determined look, and he sighed.

“Truth is, Liz, you’ve got about as good an idea as I’ve got about that. The trial… if there was one… was kept closed to the public, so no one but the army knows what went on in there. It was over quick. We know that much. The men who did it disappeared just as quick, and nobody from the army’s sayin’ where they went. ‘Privacy laws,’ they keep tellin’ the Press when they call. They don’t give me any more sway than the Press, either. What I do know, I didn’t get from the army. I got it from… other sources.”

“And what did your other sources tell you. Can you tell me?”

“That there never was any trial. That the shooters were from the old Special Unit… the one that was disbanded by Congress after Agent Pierce testified that the Unit was all a sham and humiliated Congresswoman Whittaker.”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“Well, my sources tell me they’re disbanded, but they’re still out there… and ready to take orders.”

“Whose orders?”

“Well now, that’s the big question, Liz. And I’m afraid it’s one I don’t have the answer to right now. But I do know this, the Special Unit is still a danger. Be careful who you talk to… and what you say. That’s what I came over here to tell you. Take care of yourself, Liz. You’re… family to me.”

Liz smiled.

“Sheriff? Can you take a note back for me… to Kyle?”

“Sure can. You want me to write it?”

“No, I can do it, Sheriff. I can move my fingers. I haven’t mastered writing with the pen between my teeth yet, though.”

Jim smiled. “I don’t think you’ll have to, Liz. Looks like you’re improving very rapidly. You just woke up three days ago. Now look at you. You’re eatin’ regular food and everything.”

“I can feed myself,” Liz said.

Jim seemed surprised. “Well, there you go! Here. I got a pen right here. And I just happen to have a piece of paper and an envelope, too.” Jim smiled.

Liz smiled, too, and began to write. Then she folded the paper and put it in the envelope.

“Would you seal it for me? You can read it first.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“It’s okay. We’re kind of in this together now, aren’t we?”

Sheriff Valenti nodded.

“Well, I better be goin’, Liz. I got other business to attend to.”

“Sheriff?”

“Yeah?”

“You got your job back. I just realized it.”

Jim smiled. “Yeah. I can’t say I like the way I got it back though. Hansen took a lot of blame for what went down at graduation. The town blamed him for not protecting the kids. There was a big outcry, and a lot of folks were demanding the council’s heads. The city council quickly ushered me back in. So Hansen’s my Deputy now, like it used to be.”

“Well, however it happened, I’m glad you’re the Sheriff again.”

“Thanks, Liz.” Jim turned around to leave, but he stopped at the door and looked back.

“Me, too.”


**********

(Four days later)

“You gonna be okay? Can you sit up that long,” Jeff asked with a concerned tone in his voice.

“I’m fine, Daddy. Vera will be pushing me. All I have to do is ride. It’s the good life.”

Jeff smiled and shook his head slightly. “Okay, but if you feel tired or anything, ask Vera to bring you straight back. You don’t need to be overtaxing yourself.”

“I’m just going to the park, Daddy. We won’t be gone long. And Vera is quite capable of taking care of me.”

“You want me to come?”

“No, they need you in the CrashDown, Daddy. I’ll be fine.”

Vera walked into the room and nodded at Jeff Parker then looked at Liz. “You ready, honey?”

Liz smiled. “Yeah. I’m dying to see the trees and the sun again. Let’s go!”

Somewhere else in Roswell, a telephone rang as they spoke.

“Terrier, you ready to go on this?”

“Ready, sir! Was the info correct?”

“It was. The girl’s going to be in the park on the west side of town. They’re just leaving her home now. Are you in position?”

“I will be. I’m almost there now.”

“Alright. Make it good, Terrier.”

“Yes, sir!”

The phone went dead.

At the park, Vera took Liz’s wheelchair out of the car and helped Liz into it.

“Still feel like doing this, sweetheart?”

“Wild horses couldn’t stop me, Vera. I just want to be out here in the fresh air among the beautiful trees and flowers for a while. I want to feel human again. You can understand, can’t you?”

Vera nodded. Then she took the handles of the wheelchair and walked toward the nature trail. Liz was smiling broadly… and taking in all the scenery.

“God, it’s so beautiful, Vera! I think I’d almost forgotten what it felt like to be outdoors in the real world. Thank you so much for bringing me!”

“It’s my job, honey. Besides, just between you and me, I like walking in the park.” Vera smiled.

“Terrier is in position.”

“Copy that, Terrier. Go with plan.”

“You think anyone would mind if I pulled one of these little flowers off this bush, Vera?”

“I think there’ll be plenty left, Liz. Go ahead.”

Liz carefully plucked a flower from beside the trail with her fingers. As she did, her arm moved slightly.

“Did you see that, Vera? My arm moved!”

“I saw it.” Vera smiled at her.

“It was just a little, but I actually moved it, Vera! Maybe I’ll be able to walk again some day, too.”

“I wouldn’t doubt it, Liz, knowing you like I do since you woke up. You’re certainly determined. But don’t get yourself too anxious and then get depressed if it doesn’t happen as soon as you think it should… or if it doesn’t happen.”

“It will, Vera. I know it will. I just have to be positive about it.”

Vera smiled and nodded, but she seemed concerned by Liz’s optimism. As they rounded a corner, a man sitting on a bench “reading” a newspaper lifted the paper up in front of his face.

“Pointer here. Target is sighted. Repeat. Target is sighted. Two targets.”

Another voice replied…

“Operation is still go, Pointer. You got that, Terrier? Wait till target is near. You’ll have to take them both, Terrier. Acknowledge.”

“Acknowledged. Terrier out.”

High up in a tree a couple of hundred feet off the trail, “Terrier” prepared his laser scope and high-powered rifle. Then he placed his eye to the scope and pointed it at the trail where the target would be appearing in a few moments, but as he watched, he became increasingly annoyed by the rising noise level in the park.

“Damned blasted motorcycle! That no-good sheriff should devote some of his time to keeping them out of the park. Sounds like a damn chain saw.”

As he mumbled to himself, he felt the tree begin to sway… then move slightly… then begin a long fall toward the ground. Terrier grabbed hold of the limbs and did the best he could to hold on, as his perch came tumbling down, bringing him crashing to the ground with it. When he looked up from the ground, there was a shotgun in his face. At the other end of it was Sheriff Jim Valenti. And he wasn’t smiling.

“Now, we got a choice here. You can crawl on back to that den you call a Unit and tell them that Jim Valenti said this little girl is off limits… or I can blow your head off right here and be a hero to the whole town for catching one of the ones responsible for what happened at graduation a few months back. The longer I think about it, the more I’m liking the second option.”

Terrier didn’t take the time to answer. Dragging an injured leg, he hobbled as fast as he could to the edge of the park, leaving his gun behind under the tree. A black Mercedes pulled up, and he got in as it sped away. A few moments later, Liz and Vera appeared on the trail.

“Well, hello,” Jim said, tilting his hat slightly. “Fancy meeting you girls here!”

“Hi, Sheriff,” Liz replied with a smile. She looked at the chainsaw and shotgun in Jim’s hand and then at the fallen tree.

“Oh! Yeah… well, caught some guys tryin’ to do some illegal lumbering in the park. Had to confiscate their saw and bust ‘em.”

“Ah,” Liz nodded suspiciously.

“Can I walk with you girls? Suddenly I feel like a walk in the park.”

“Sure,” Liz said. “We’d be glad to have the company.” Vera smiled.

As they walked, another conversation was taking place elsewhere in town.

“I don’t care what the reasons were! I want results! Get that! Results! If you can’t get that, I’ll put someone in charge who can!”

“Sir, our operation has been compromised. The sheriff is onto us. He mentioned the Unit specifically. And he issued a threat if we didn’t stay away from the girl.”

“I don’t care about the sheriff’s threats. You know how to handle situations like that.”

“The sheriff?”

“Take care of it. And Barker, do not call me back if you do not have good news for me, ‘cause if you do, I may have someone do what the sheriff threatened to do. Am I making myself clear?”

“Yes, sir! Perfectly, sir!”



tbc

Coming next: Valenti is in the cross-hairs, and Liz visits the cemetery.

The Night The Dreams Died



The Sheriff In The Crosshairs

Chapter 3

III



“Hansen, you might as well go on home. I can handle things from here on out… for the rest of the day.”

“You sure, Sheriff? I’ve still got three hours before my shift ends.”

“Yeah, I can handle it. Go on. Get out of here.”

“Okay, Sheriff… but if you need me…”

Jim shook his head, and Hansen walked toward the door. Then he stopped and turned around.

“Sheriff, you’re expectin’ trouble aren’t you?”

“Get out of here, Hansen! That’s an order!”

“You may need some help…”

“Go home.”

“Sir, with all due respect, I’m still on duty. If you’re expectin’ trouble, I should be here to help.”

Jim sighed and turned around to face his deputy. “Thanks, Hansen. I appreciate your diligence, and it’s duly noted… but there’s no point in us both getting’ killed now is there?”

“Sir!”

“Hansen, that’s an order!”

Hansen sighed and walked toward the door. As he reached the door, the phone rang.

Jim picked up the receiver. “Sheriff’s office.”

“Sheriff, it’s Jeff Parker. You got a moment?”

“Yeah, sure, Jeff. What is it?”

“Well, maybe nothing, but… Liz wants Vera to take her over to the New Haven Cemetery, and I was wonderin’ if you could…”

“Jeff, it’d really be best right now if you could convince her to wait until later… maybe tomorrow… better still, a few days.”

“I’m sorry, Sheriff… it’s just that… they already left.”

Jim closed his eyes.

“Sheriff? Are you still there?”

“Yeah, Jeff, I’m here. All right, I’ll keep an eye on ‘em.”

“Thanks, Jim. You don’t know how much I appreciate it.”

“Somehow I will,” Jim said to himself as he hung up the phone. Turning around, he noticed that Hansen was still standing at the door looking at him.

“Hansen, what are you doin’ standing around? Your shift doesn’t end for three more hours!”

Hansen grinned, and Jim smiled.

“Yes, sir, Sheriff!”

“Hansen?”

“Sir?”

“How many mirrors do we have in this complex?”

“Excuse me?”

“How many mirrors?”

“I don’t know. I never counted ‘em. There’s the one in the men’s room down the hall. I reckon there’s one in the ladies room as well. I’ve never been in there, but I imagine they put one in there, too. Upstairs there’s two more bathrooms. And there’s a mirror in the lounge on this floor. I guess that’s five… that I know of.”

“Okay.”

Hansen looked at Jim suspiciously.

“You plannin’ somethin’ Sheriff?”

“Yeah. Come on! Help me take the mirror out of the men’s room.”

Hansen followed Jim to the men’s room, and together they carefully removed a large mirror from the wall.

“Sheriff, you wanna tell me what you’re gonna do with this?”

“Create a decoy.”

“For whom?”

“You ask too many questions, Deputy.”

Sorry, Sir.”

“That’s all right. I reckon you’ve got the right to know. I’m expectin’ someone to want to get me out of their way… a special unit of the army… very unofficial… and deadly.”

“The ones who ordered the massacre at graduation?”

Jim looked at Hansen. “What do you know about that, Hansen?”

“More than I wanted to say. I keep my eyes open, Sheriff. But you can’t fight the whole army.”

“Well, Deputy, I’m not plannin’ on havin’ to fight the whole army… just a few renegade sharpshooters… We’re gonna set this mirror up on its end in my chair behind my desk. Then we’re gonna get the mirror out of the ladies’ room and cut it –or break it- in half. I’ll show you what we’re gonna do with it.”

Jim and Hansen carried the second mirror out and placed it on Jim’s desk. Then Jim pulled a small glass cutter out of his drawer.

“You keep a glass cutter, Sheriff?”

“A sheriff never knows what he’s gonna need, Hansen. I might have to rescue someone from a burning building or something.”

“Couldn’t you just break the glass?”

“Hansen!” Jim gave Hansen an exasperated look. “Just help me hold this, okay?”

“Yes, Sir.” Hansen held the edge, as Jim scored the mirror in the middle. Then they placed it over the edge of the desk, and Jim held the inside edge as he gave the glass a rap, breaking it along the score. Jim removed some of the backing from the mirror halves so that light could pass through, then he placed the two parts in front of a small TV, inserted a videotape into the VCR, and turned it on. The video came on, and Jim appeared on the screen, sitting in his chair giving an interview to the local TV news crews after he had got his job back. Jim had recorded the segment off the TV news. He paused the picture momentarily.

Hansen looked at the mirror in Jim’s chair and his mouth dropped open.

“You… you look like you’re sitting in your chair, Sheriff. You look kind of small, though.”

“Well, we wouldn’t want that, would we, Deputy… me lookin’ too small.” Jim moved one half of the glass in front of the TV a little further away from the other half, and the image in the mirror grew larger.

“Dang!” Hansen exclaimed. “If it wasn’t just a little out of focus, I’d swear you was sittin’ there in that chair, Sheriff! Where’d you learn to do that?”

Jim smiled. “I watched some McGyver. And it’ll just have to stay out of focus. We don’t have time to make a masterpiece out of it. I need you to help me with one more thing, Deputy, before I open that curtain up on my window.”

“Sure, Sheriff. What’s that?”

A few minutes later, Deputy Hansen opened the curtains, giving an unobstructed view of the reflected image of Jim sitting in his chair talking and moving his hands. Then Deputy Hansen opened the door and walked out holding the arm of a rather sturdy-looking lady.’’

“Deputy?”

“Yes, Sir?”

“If you ever mention this to anyone…”

Hansen smiled. “Duly noted, Sir.”



**********


“Bulldog here. Someone is coming out… It’s the deputy… and a woman.”

“Hold your fire, Bulldog. We just want Target One. No collateral.”

“Roger that, Samson. I have a lock on Target One.”

“Is there anyone on the street?”

“Two… kids playing down the block.”

“Hold your fire until they’re not in sight.”

“Acknowledged. Bulldog over.”

~Twelve minutes later~

“This is Bulldog. Target One is clear.”

“You have go, Bulldog. Terminate target.”

Three seconds later, a high-powered bullet blasted through the window of the sheriff’s station, shattering the window and the mirror in Jim’s chair.

“This is Bulldog. Come back!”

“Go ahead, Bulldog.”

“Something’s not right here. I need clearance to enter the target site.”

“Do it. Stay on it, Bulldog. Report back.”

“Bulldog out.”

The agent climbed quickly down the fire escape from the roof of a nearby building and crossed over to the sheriff’s station. Kicking the door in, he looked around the inside with his rifle ready for any resistance. He found none… just a TV and a VCR running, two pieces of a broken mirror, and in Sheriff Jim Valenti’s chair, a pile of broken glass.

“This is Bulldog. Outcome Negative. Repeat. Outcome Negative.”

“You missed?”

“Target One had a decoy. Target has evaded the net.”



**********


Vera helped Liz out of her wheelchair, and she sat down on the ground in front of the granite memorial marker. Then she reached out and touched it, running her hand over the engraved words…

Maxwell Evans

1984 – 2002

Tears filled up her eyes, and she wiped her fingertips across her cheek, but it was like trying to drain the sea with a straw. The tears rolled down her face faster than she could wipe them away. She stopped even trying.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this, Max. We were supposed to live happily ever after. You should never have healed me. Look what it got you!” Liz began to sob, and Vera helped her wipe some of the tears away with a handkerchief.

“If you hadn’t healed me, you would still be alive. Nobody would have ever known about you. Why did you have to love me? You weren’t even supposed to love me. You just did. And you’re the one who got hurt. I couldn’t help loving you, Max. I couldn’t help myself. I loved you so much. I’ll always love you! Always, Max! I can’t even imagine my life without you? You are my life. You’re my soul! I was everything with you… I’m nothing without you…” Liz began to sob again, and Vera tried to coax her to leave, but Liz shook her head.

“Who’s going to save your people now, Max? I betrayed them all by loving you. Because of me, Kivar wins. Where’s the fairness in that, Max? All I ever did was love you! Why did you have to die?”

Liz sank to the ground and sobbed, not caring that her face was pressed into the grass and she was unable to move or stand up. At the moment, she would just as soon have stayed that way until she could join Max and have the life she so yearned for with the one person she knew she would ever truly love.

“Liz… sweetheart… let me help you up.”

“Leave me, Vera. I don’t want to get up. I want to be with Max.”

“Max isn’t here, sweetheart. He’s gone on to… wherever he was meant to go. It won’t do anyone any good for you to pine your heart away here.”

“Can’t you understand, Vera?”

Vera was silent for a moment, then she sat down beside Liz and stroked her back gently.

“I do understand, honey. I lost someone, too… in Viet Nam.”

Liz looked at Vera and wiped her eyes. “A… boyfriend?”

Vera nodded. “Fiancé. We were going to get married when he returned.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It was a long time ago, honey. I haven’t stopped loving him. But I’ve gone on with my life.”

“How, Vera? I don’t know how to…” Tears started to run again from Liz’s eyes.

“I know it doesn’t seem possible now, Liz, but time heals wounds.

“Some wounds never heal, Vera. The bullet that went through my head and the bullet that crushed my spine made wounds that will heal… at least outside… but…” Liz motioned toward Max’s grave. “This wound will never heal for me.”

“I know. But life will go on, Liz. And you will go on.”

Liz looked up to see Sheriff Valenti standing there.

“Ladies.”

“Sheriff! You surprised me,” Vera said. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I have to be everywhere, Vera. Wherever duty calls.”

“Is this duty?”

“A sheriff is always on duty. But since I just happen to be here right now, maybe I can talk to Liz a bit. Would you mind, Liz?”

“I don’t mind. Vera, would you help me up, please?”

Vera reached out with both arms to help Liz up and back into her wheelchair.

“Did you visit the other graves yet, Liz?”

Liz nodded. “I can’t look at these markers, sheriff, and think about Maria being there… being gone… or Michael… or Isabel. Much less…” She motioned toward Max’s grave, and tears began to run down her face again.

“It just doesn’t seem right or real. Maria was so alive and happy. Michael and Maria were so great together… Now they’re gone. These graves… they’re so sad. And Max… Max was my heart. What am I without him? I don’t know how to go on.”

Vera handed Liz her handkerchief, and Liz passed it over her eyes.

“That’s your emotions talking, Liz. You can be whatever you put your mind to,” Jim said. “I know you. You’re strong inside. And you’re smart. You can do anything… and you will.”

“Then why do my emotions have to hurt so bad, Sheriff? I’d rather have another bullet in my head…”

“I know,” Jim said softly. “What you’re feeling right now is normal.”

“Sheriff?”

“Yeah?”

“Did you see the… you know… the bodies?”

“I was at the graduation, Liz, remember? …to see Kyle graduate… when it happened.”

“Yeah, but did you see the bodies?”

“Well, Max and Michael were found with their bike… a couple of miles from the school, so I never saw their bodies. They were taken straight to the hospital. I saw you and Maria and Principal Van Der Shul… and Isabel… after you were shot… before they took you away.”

“But I was still alive.”

“Yeah.”

“Then the others were… dead?”

“Principal Van Der Shul was already dead. The others were alive… barely, but they died before they were transported, Liz. They were all DOA.”

“Did you see them die?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you see… Did they… have a funeral?”

“You mean did I see them in the caskets? No. The hospital sealed the caskets. They said it was best… considering the wounds… and the parents agreed.”

Liz seemed to sit up straighter. She was silent for a moment.

“Did you see the autopsy reports, Sheriff?”

“Yeah.”

“Max’s? And Michael’s? And Isabel’s?”

“Yeah. I know what you’re thinking, Liz. Believe me, I checked it out. I questioned the coroner intensively… without telling him exactly what I was looking for. Fact is, he did very limited tests on the bodies. The wounds were obvious. Nobody questioned how it happened. There was no reason to do a complete autopsy.”

“I thought in the case of murder a complete autopsy was kind of the norm, Sheriff?”

“Well, it is… normally. Like I said, I checked it out. The coroner assured me that he didn’t have to do anything, because the bullet wounds were the obvious cause of death. That’s what he certified as the cause of death.”

“And the… you know, the ones who shot them… didn’t try to get autopsy reports or see the bodies or get samples or something? Doesn’t that seem odd to you, Sheriff?”

“Yes, it does. Of course, they did get copies of the autopsy report, but like I said, it didn’t say anything.”

“They wouldn’t let a chance like that pass, Sheriff. I know it. If they didn’t ask for samples, they got them somehow. You can count on it.”

“I suspect you’re right, Liz. But they already knew… I don’t know what good it would do them. Max and Michael and Isabel can’t be touched by them now.”

“And Maria?”

“She can’t either,” Jim said.

“I know. But something isn’t right. I feel it inside.”

“Oh, I forgot! The coroner gave me something. I kept it in my pocket all this time. After all these months, I just about forgot about it.” Jim pulled a ring out of his pocket and handed it to Liz.

“It was Max’s. I thought you’d like to have it, Liz. It’s inscribed inside. You gave it to him.”

Liz smiled and took the ring. As it touched her hand, a shock suddenly ran through her body.

“Liz!”

Jim looked at Liz, and she was as white as a ghost. He touched her cheek and looked into her eyes.

“Liz! Are you okay? You kind of left us there for a minute! What happened?”

Liz looked at Jim, her eyes wide.

“It’s Max… He’s alive.”



tbc


Coming Next: Confusion reigns for Liz as she tries to find Max but sees visions and sights that make her begin to think that she might actually be going insane. Liz begins to keep a diary of her visions, and the town council pressures Jim Valenti to convince Liz’s family to leave Roswell with her… for the “good” of Roswell.

The Night The Dreams Died



Voices From The Grave

Chapter 4

IV



“He’s alive,” Liz gasped, eyes wide and appearing to be in shock.

“Liz, you’ve been through a lot,” Jim replied gently. “Coming out here to Max’s grave may not have been the best thing for you right now. This is your heart talking… It’s making you imagine things…”

Liz shook her head. “No, Sheriff! Max is alive. I know it.”

“What makes you think that, Liz?”

“When I touched the ring… I heard him call me.”

“You heard his voice?”

“More like his mind… calling to me.”

“Like he was looking for you?”

“No. Like he’s in trouble.”

“Do you really think if Max was in trouble he would call you and have you put yourself in danger, too, Liz?”

“You don’t understand, Sheriff. Max and I have… a connection. I can’t describe it. He wouldn’t have to call out to me. I would just know.”

Jim looked at Liz for several moments then nodded.

“You know what, Liz? Strange as it seems, I believe you. If any two people ever had a connection with each other it was you and Max. I’ve seen the two of you… how you are together. But you know this brings up a whole bunch of questions and problems. If you’re sensing Max, and he’s alive… then what’s in that grave? And where is Max? And if Max really is alive… then what about the others? I saw them die… some of them… but if Max is alive, I think I ought to check all of them.”

“Would that be a problem, Sheriff?”

Jim whistled slightly. “I’d have to get permission from the families to exhume the bodies. Either that or get a judge’s order. Judge Lewis isn’t exactly my biggest fan. He’s not likely to grant me an order.”

“He’s the one that fired you.”

“Yeah. Well, he suspended me. The city council had to make it official. And when the city council was taking so much heat after graduation, Judge Lewis tried to get ‘em to hire a sheriff from a big city to come take over. But the council just wanted the heat off them as fast as possible. Rushing me back into the job was the fastest and easiest and cheapest way for them to do that. I can’t say as how Judge Lewis was very pleased with their decision.”

“So you need Max’s parents to give permission…”

“Yeah.”

“I think I can get it,” Liz said. “What about Maria?”

“Amy,” Jim said, closing his eyes and showing more stress than normal. “I really wish I didn’t have to ask Amy to do that… If Amy thought there was even a small chance that Maria might be alive, she’d dig that grave up herself with her own hands. I just don’t want to get her goin’ and then have to break her heart again, you know what I mean?”

Liz nodded.

Jim groaned then sighed. “I’ll figure out somethin’. Maybe if we open Max’s grave and Michael’s… Michael was an emancipated teen. I might have the authority to open his grave without Judge Lewis’ consent. Even if Hank was still around, he wouldn’t have any say.”

“And if you don’t find Max or Michael here, Sheriff, will you speak to Amy?”

Jim nodded. “If Max and Isabel and Michael aren’t here… I think then I’d be bound by every right and duty to check Maria’s grave, too.”

Liz smiled.

“Thanks, Sheriff.”

“Can I walk you back to your car, Liz?”

“I’d appreciate that,” Liz said. Vera smiled and nodded, too.

“Liz, did you get any feeling for where Max is? I mean, that’s assuming he’s alive, of course.”

“No. Just a sudden voice in my head, like a call, only not a call… sort of a momentary connection.”

Jim nodded. “Well, we’ll get to the bottom of it. If there’s somethin’ to it, we’ll find out soon enough, I promise.”

Jim walked to Vera’s car and waited to open the door. Can I help you, Vera?”

“No thanks, Sheriff. She’s very light.”

“I’ll hold the door for you.”

Vera helped Liz out of the wheelchair and into the front seat of the car then she closed the door and turned to Jim…

“Sheriff, do you think what you’re doing is a good idea?”

“What’s that, Vera?”

“Leading this little girl on like that. Humoring her the way you were. She’s confused right now. I’m just not sure pretending to agree with her… her fantasies… is the right thing for her.”

“Ah! I see. Vera, there are more things on this Earth and in the universe than either one of us knows about or is likely to ever understand. I’m not leading Liz on. I believe her.”

Vera stood there for a moment looking at the sheriff, not knowing what to say.

“Well, I’d just hate to see her get hurt any more than she already has been…”

“I would, too, Vera. But I owe her this. And if Liz says she thinks Max is alive, that’s good enough reason in my mind for me to check it out at least.”

Vera smiled slightly then nodded and got into her car. Jim watched as she pulled out and drove down the road, then he followed in his own vehicle, just far enough back not to be noticed. When Vera and Liz were safely back in the apartment above the CrashDown, Jim turned around and drove back to the Sheriff’s station.



**********


Back at the station, Jim stepped out of his vehicle and started to walk toward his office. Then, noticing a car parked nearby, he walked over to check it out.

“Rolls Royce! Royal blue! Nice! Not on a sheriff’s salary!” Jim chuckled to himself then walked into his office prepared to sprawl out on the sofa for a few minutes to relax, but he found the sofa already occupied.

“Judge! Won’t you come in?”

“I think you’ll notice I already am in, Sheriff.”

“I just thought I’d invite you so I wouldn’t have to go to the trouble of arrestin’ you for trespassing… not to mention breaking and entering?”

“I’ve got a key, Jim. I’m a judge. I’m also on the city council… unofficially. It’s not trespassing.”

“That might be a matter for some debate, Judge, but you’re here, so what can I do for you?”

“I want you to stop spending valuable city time running around after that girl.”

“She needs protection, Judge. I’m the sheriff. That’s my job.”

“Your job, Jim, is to do what I tell you to do, and I’m tellin’ you to stay away from that girl!”

“Why are you all of a sudden so interested in the fact I’m protecting her, Judge?”

“That’s not your business, Sheriff.”

“It’s mine now,” Jim replied sternly.

“Thing is, Sheriff, I got a visit from the army last night. You are being accused of impeding an army investigation into the happenings at graduation.”

“Is that what they’re calling it? Impeding an investigation?” Jim sneered. “I would’ve called it attempted murder.”

“Jim, you’re in contempt! The army wants to clear this mess up, and it’s in the best interest of this city to let them do that… as fast as possible… and get on with our business.”

“I thought they already tried those guys that did it, Judge. Seems to me the army said they had it all wrapped up already. What could they possibly want now?”

“The army, Jim, is very important in this city! They pay a lot of salaries. They spend money in this town… lots of it!”

Jim looked out the window. “Is that a Rolls Royce you drove here in, Judge? Looks new. Bein’ a judge has gotten to be a lot more lucrative lately, has it?”

Judge Lewis glared at Jim then stood up and walked to the door.

“I’ll let myself out, Sheriff. You heed my words. The council may want you here now, but you’re treadin’ on thin ice… very thin ice. Stay away from that Parker girl! That’s not a request… That’s an order!”

After Judge Lewis had driven away, Jim picked up the phone and dialed Hansen’s number.

“Hello?”

“Hansen? You still want some overtime?”

“Sure, Sheriff. What do you need?”

“I need you to help me watch Liz Parker.”

“I thought you wanted to do that yourself, Sheriff.”

“And I still intend to, Hansen. I’m doubling the protection she’s getting.”

“Why?”

“Because Judge Lewis wants me to keep away from her… and the army wants me to keep away from her.”

Hansen was quiet for several moments before answering. “That sounds like a good enough reason to me, Sheriff.”



**********


Vera pushed Liz’s wheelchair into the apartment then turned around to shut the door and lock it.

“Hello, Liz.”

Liz turned her head around quickly, recognizing the voice.

“Kyle! Omigod! What in the world are you doing here? How’d you get in?”

“Your Dad let me in. He had to go back down and flip some more burgers. He said I could wait for you here. Is that alright?”

“Alright? Kyle! It’s wonderful! Come here and give me a hug!”

Kyle smiled and walked over to Liz. Liz put her arms around him.

“I’ve almost gotten the full use of my arms back now, Kyle. I still can’t feel my legs, but I haven’t given up. Does your Dad know you’re here?”

“No, and I’d rather keep it that way. He thinks he’s protecting me. He wants me to stay out of Roswell… as far out of it as possible for the time being.”

“He just wants to make sure you stay alive, Kyle. I understand.”

“Yeah, I know. But what’s life without a few risks, huh, Liz?”

Liz shook her head and smiled. “Well, you know I’m glad to see you, Kyle. I haven’t seen any of our friends since… graduation.”

“I know,” Kyle said sympathetically. “I can’t believe that Alex and I are the only ones left… besides you, I mean.”

“Can I tell you something, Kyle?”

“Anything, Liz. You know that.”

“Well, this may sound kind of crazy.”

“I’ll consider the source,” Kyle said with a grin.

“Oh, thanks, Kyle,” Liz said, returning the grin. “That makes me feel soooo much better.”

“What did you want to tell me, Liz?”

“I don’t think Max is dead. No… I know Max isn’t dead. Michael and Isabel and Maria may not be, either.”

“Okay.” Kyle mulled what Liz had said over in his mind for several seconds. “Coming from almost anyone else, Liz, I’d say no way, but… why do you think they could be alive?”

“I felt a connection with Max today. I felt it! He’s alive.”

“And the others?”

“I… I know I don’t have anything to go on to suggest that they could be alive, Kyle. I just thought that if Max is still alive, maybe… You know?”

Kyle nodded.

“And, Kyle… there’s something else. I haven’t told anyone yet… not even Daddy.”

Kyle looked at Liz questioningly, and Liz rolled her chair into her room and returned with a small diary.

“I’m keeping a diary, Kyle.”

“There’s nothing strange about that, Liz. You always kept a diary.”

“Not like this one.”

“What do you mean?”

Liz picked up the diary and began to read…

We went diving in the Golden Sea today. Max looked so gallant standing there with his hand out waiting for me to step into the surf with him. I don’t know how many times we’ve dived together now… I’ve lost count. It is so beautiful. And our children love coming here. Andya is getting to be quite proficient on the Sysscha board. Maya has even dived with us a couple of times. JoLeesa loves the beach. She would rather sun herself on the beach than almost anything. Alyyx is only seven, and he’s almost as proficient as Andya now on the Sysscha board, and he’s already talking about how he wants to try a zoombor board. I think that’s still a few years away for him, though. And Jeffy… little Jeffy really loves sitting in the gentle waves. I can’t help being overprotective of him, even though I know that with his powers, he probably couldn’t drown…”

“Do you want me to go on, Kyle?”

Kyle seemed at a loss for words. Then he nodded. “Well, I think it’s nice, Liz. It’s like a novel or something. There’s nothing wrong with expressing our inner desires and our feelings as stories or fables. Buddha…”

“You don’t understand, Kyle.”

“I think five kids sounds a little unbelievable, though, Liz.”

“Well, three of them are triplets. Look, Kyle, This isn’t something I’m just making up. I’m seeing it. I’m feeling the emotions. And I write it down. Listen to this.”

Max and I went over to see Kyle and Jeliya this afternoon. Rayyn and Taz came out to meet us. They're getting to be such handsome boys. Rayyn looks a lot like Kyle, and Taz looks more like his mama. But I see Kyle’s mischief in both of them's eyes…”

“Hold it! Hold it! Liz. You’re saying you’re seeing the future or something, and I’m married… with kids…?”

“I don’t know, Kyle. I see these visions sometimes… and I feel these feelings, and it’s like I’m there. I don’t know where there is. Well, I do… kind of. It’s on Max’s planet… Antar. I just don’t know why I’m seeing myself there. And I see these children… They’re supposed to be mine… and I know them… but they don’t exist. Am I going crazy, Kyle? If I’m hallucinating about these visions, could I be hallucinating about feeling Max today, too? ‘Cause if I am…”

Liz didn’t finish.

Kyle struggled for something to say. Finally, he seemed to find his voice again. “I don’t know what you’re seeing, Liz… but you’re not crazy… or hallucinating either. You’ve had visions before, and they always mean something. I’m not sure I believe that you and Max have five kids and live on Antar in some future or something… or that I’ll ever live on Antar and marry someone named Jeliya… We were married, right?”

“Yeah.”

Kyle nodded. “But your visions always mean something.”

“Thanks, Kyle. I knew it, too. I did feel Max today. I wasn’t hallucinating. I just wish I knew what these visions meant… and why I’m having them now.”

“We’ll figure it out, Liz. Once we do, I know they’ll make total sense.”

“I hope so.”

“They will.”



~On the other side of Roswell, meanwhile~


“Have you handled the situation with Sheriff Valenti, Judge?”

“I did. He won’t be around the girl any more. You can complete your investigation now gentlemen.”

“Good.”

“Just what are you investigating now, if I might ask?”

The agent pulled out a wad of money and counted out twenty-two hundred dollar bills, tossing them on Judge Lewis’ desk.

“Did you have a question, Judge?”

“I forgot.”

“Let’s keep it that way.”



tbc


Next time: Valenti tries to reopen Max and Michael’s graves but is confronted by Judge Lewis with an order to desist. And Liz feels another connection… this time to Maria, who brings a message.

The Night The Dreams Died



Deadly Secrets

Chapter 5

V



Jim watched, with Deputies Hansen, Carter, and Davis right behind him, as Judge Lewis picked up his golf club and stepped into the sand trap.

“Jim, I wouldn’t let you reopen that girl’s grave if you did have some kinda proof that something wasn’t right… And you don’t! Right now you’re just ruining my handicap. And that’s all I have to say on the matter.”

Jim shook his head in frustration. “You don’t have one good reason not to allow me to check the DeLuca girl’s grave, Judge. If I’m right…”

“If you’re right, Jim… That’s a mighty big ‘if.’ You’re grasping at straws to try to salvage your reputation at that young girl’s expense… at her family’s expense.”

“You’re letting your feelings about me cloud your judgment, Judge. Maria DeLuca only had her mother, and her mother’s a good friend of mine.”

Judge Lewis stopped and looked up then leaned on his club, as he wagged his finger. “That’s right! You and her mom had a thing together once, didn’t you, Jim? That’s just all the more reason I won’t permit you to do this. You’re obsessed. This whole thing with this girl is an obsession with you.”

“Judge, you know if it was anyone else but the DeLuca girl…”

“If it was anyone else, you could do what you wanted, Jim. But it’s not anyone else! You’re obsessed with this girl, and I’ve said No! That’s the end of it!”

Jim looked at his deputies and gave a nod. “Let’s go, guys. Thanks, Judge.”

Judge Lewis swung his club, sending up a powder of sand and dropping the ball just outside the sand pit. He groaned and glared at Jim as he walked away, then he stepped out of the sand pit and shook his head. “Imbecile! Made me ruin a perfectly good shot. Don’t thank me, Jim! I ain’t done you no favors… and I ain’t goin’ to.” But Jim was already out of earshot.

“What are you plannin’ to do now,” Hansen asked.

“…Open Max Evans’ grave, Deputy. And then I’m gonna open Isabel Evans’ and Michael Guerin’s graves.”

“But Judge Lewis…”

“…said if it was anyone else but the DeLuca girl I could do what I wanted. You heard him, Hansen.”

“Yeah, but I’m not sure he meant…”

“Carter? Davis? What’d the judge say?”

“That you could do what you wanted, sir, as long as it wasn’t the DeLuca girl,” Deputy Carter replied. “But, Sheriff, I don’t think he expected…”

“Shhh! We’re not going to second guess the judge, are we, Carter?”

“Well, no sir…”

“Then let’s go check out those other graves.”

“You set the judge up, didn’t you, Sheriff,” Hansen said quietly. “It was the other graves you wanted to open all along.” Jim smiled but didn’t answer.



**********


~Las Cruces, doña Ana County, New Mexico~

Alex sat down at a desk in the second row and looked around. He was early, and only a few other students had arrived yet, so he opened the class textbook. As he began to thumb through it idly, a voice got his attention…

“Hi. You new here?”

Alex looked up at the blonde haired girl who had just sat down in the seat beside him and smiled. “Yeah. You, too?”

The girl smiled and nodded. “Yeah. Where you from?”

“Roswell. How about you?”

“All around. We moved a lot. Daddy works for the government.”

Alex nodded. “Any place you call home?”

“Virginia… well, at least it was for a while. We spent a couple of years there. Dad could be close to D.C. there. We lived a couple of years in San Francisco, too… near the Air Force Base.”

“Kind of a ‘Military Brat’ huh,” Alex said with a grin.

“No, not really. Daddy wasn’t in the military. He just did contract work for the government.”

“Ah.”

“What’s your name?”

“Alex… Alex Whitman.”

“Hi, Alex. I’m, uh… Angie. Angie Lee.”

“Nice to meet you, Angie Lee.”

The girl smiled. “I guess we’ve got calculus together.”

“Looks like it,” Alex said. He motioned toward an old, leather-bound book that the girl was carrying between her other books. “What class is that for?”

“This? Oh… I brought it from home. It’s not a textbook. Well, it might be a textbook… in a way. But it’s not for my classes.”

“It looks old.”

“Yeah. It is.”

“Can I see it?”

The girl looked at the book for a moment then closed her eyes. As she did, four pictures in the book disappeared. She handed it to Alex. Alex opened the cover and thumbed through several pages.

“What is it, Egyptian or Native American or something? Looks like old runes.”

“I think it’s a forgotten language,” the girl said.

“Do you know what it says?”

Angie shook her head. “I’ve tried to find out, but it seems to be unknown.”

“You don’t know anyone who can read it?”

“Well, I think my Dad could… but… he’s…”

“Oh,” Alex said, “I’m sorry. Wasn’t there anyone else who could read it?”

The girl shook her head again. “I don’t think this language exists here anymore. It’s totally unknown.”

“Really,” Alex asked, starting to show a considerable interest in the book. “Totally unknown? You know, they have a great new computer here that might be able to help you translate it.”

“Yeah, I heard that,” Angie said. “But I’m not the world’s greatest computer expert.”

“Well… if you need any help…” Alex said, “I might be able to help you.”

The girl smiled. “Are you good at math and languages?”

“I did okay. I know a little Swedish and a bit of Spanish. And I got A’s in Algebra and Trig.”

The girl raised her eyebrows. “I’m impressed. I was going to go over to the Litvack computer sciences building tonight at around eight. If you want to, you could join me… if you’re really interested.”

“Sure! I like figuring things out. This looks like it could be a real challenge!”

“I guess it’s a date then.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Alex said. “I never could resist a good mystery. I hope you don’t think I was hitting on you…”

The girl smiled. “Actually, I kind of hoped you were.”



**********


~At about the same time, somewhere in Area 51~


“Mathers! What the hell are all these alarms and horns going off for? I don’t see any fires or any foreign armies attacking!”

“No, sir! It’s the ‘guests’, sir.”

“What about the guests?”

“They’re gone, sir.”

General Hawkins stared at Colonel Mathers for several moments with an intensity that left Mathers feeling uncomfortably warm. “Gone? How could they be gone? That’s impossible!”

“I don’t know how, sir. They just are.”

“Did they get off the base?”

“Unknown, sir. We don’t think so.”

“Okay… Make sure that they don’t! And Mathers… find them! Otherwise, our ‘guest’ facilities will be open for new occupants… Am I making myself clear?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good!”

As the alarms continued to blare, soldiers and guards were dispatched to all the perimeters of the base to seal off the exits and any potential escape routes… not that there were very many of these to begin with. But the problem that faced the General was admittedly a little unusual for Area 51. The guards and soldiers posted at the fences usually had to prevent unwanted “snoops” from sneaking in to see what went on in Area 51. It was almost inconceivable to the General or to anyone else inside that anyone or anything could escape from the “guest quarters,” much less get off of the base. But now it appeared that something had at least done the former.

General Hawkins walked swiftly to Containment Area B. Stopping only momentarily to submit to a fingerprint and eye scan at the entrance, he passed quickly through, escorted by the guards.

“Lieutenant! Is everything in order?”

“Yes sir!”

“Have extra guards posted around the craft… as a precaution.”

“Already done, sir.”

“Good.” General Hawkins looked around the large hangar-type room. Everything appeared to be secure. He nodded and left as quickly as he had come, heading for Containment Area A, which was usually referred to internally as the “guest quarters” or “guest facilities.” The name was misleading, even sadistic in its own way. It implied a benign purpose, but the truth was somewhat different. No “guest” who had ever stayed there ever did so willingly, and no guest -ever- had checked out… at least not until now.



**********


Liz sat nearby watching from her wheelchair as the men dug. Her father and Kyle Valenti stood beside her on one side. Alex Whitman stood beside her on the other side. Jim Valenti had been less than happy with Kyle’s decision to return to Roswell to be present for this, or with Alex’s decision to be here for that matter, but he understood. These were their friends. Kyle and Alex had been there when their friends were killed. They wanted to be here now. Jim knew that in Kyle’s place, he would do exactly the same thing, and nothing could stop him. He doubted that his son was any different. Jim had also been less than enthusiastic about Liz being present. The last thing he wanted her to see was what he hoped he would not find. He knew that Liz was firmly convinced that Max would not be here. He hoped to God that she was right.

“Let’s stay busy here, guys,” Jim barked. “We are pressed for time.”

“What’s the rush, Sheriff,” Deputy Carter asked. “We’ve got five and a half hours left before the sun starts to go down.” Jim didn’t respond.

The diggers dug quickly into the soft ground, and it wasn’t long before they reached Max’s coffin and placed belts around it, which they attached to a small crane-like hoist. Then they began to raise the coffin. As the coffin cleared the grave, Jim and the others were suddenly confronted by a group of men rushing to the site. At the front of the group was Judge Lewis. Without saying a word, Judge Lewis produced a written order barring the unearthing of any of the graves of those killed at graduation. Behind Judge Lewis stood eight state troopers and someone else whom Jim recognized.

“Dan Lubetkin! Don’t tell me you have an interest in this, too!”

“Jim, the state police board investigated you before. This time, they’re probably going to take your license. You’re out of control.”

Jim nodded. “If doing my job is being out of control, Dan, then I guess I’m guilty as charged.”

“You’re not doing your job, Jim. You’re living in a fantasy here… chasing aliens… imagining empty graves…”

“Then prove me wrong, Dan. Just let me open this one casket.”

Dan shook his head. “You know I can’t do that, Jim.”

Judge Lewis motioned to two of the state troopers, and they placed handcuffs on Jim’s wrists.

“Jim, you are hereby under arrest,” Judge Lewis told him somewhat sanctimoniously.

“Shall I read myself my rights, Judge, or do you know them?”

“You have the right to… to a trial… to an attorney… to, uh… Oh hell, Jim, you know your rights!”

Suddenly, a loud crash brought everyone’s attention back to the suspended coffin. But it was no longer suspended. It lay on the ground, half open.

“Sorry,” Kyle said. “I must have accidentally pulled on one of these cinches.

Judge Lewis stood with his mouth open, as Alex rushed to help Kyle set the coffin back upright, accidentally rolling it over. As they did, a body rolled out, coming to rest face up. There was a collective gasp, even among the state troopers. Liz turned white and buried her face in her hands then began to sob.

“You happy now, Sheriff,” Judge Lewis said, somehow seeming not at all unhappy with this turn of events. Jim stood speechless.

“Arrest him,” Dan said to the troopers. “Take him to county in Albuquerque. We’ll book him there.”

“Uh, gentlemen…? Gentlemen, can I have your attention for a moment?”

Everyone turned around, and Kyle tossed an apparently mangled and bloodied hand to Judge Lewis, who gasped loudly, turned white, and brushed it away as though it were an attacking swarm of ghosts.

“My God, Sheriff! Does this run in your family! What are you?”

“The question, your honor,” Alex said, “might ought to be, ‘what is this?’” Alex twisted the head off the body and held it up, and Liz began to laugh uncontrollably, unable to stop herself, as she realized the truth. It was hard to tell if Judge Lewis was amused or not. He lay on the ground, passed out cold.

Jeff Parker looked at the body and the severed head, then he carefully peeled a latex mask off the face. The mask looked like Max’s face. Jeff was willing to bet that all the rest of the mannequin precisely matched Max’s measurements and appearance, too.

“Dan? Can you explain this,” Jeff asked Lubetkin.

Lubetkin shook his head, his mouth open but nothing coming out. Jim raised his wrists behind his back, and Dan motioned to the troopers who had placed the handcuffs on him to remove them.

“Thank you, gentlemen,” Jim said. “Now, Dan, how about we check out these other graves.”



tbc

Coming Next: The message from Maria. Also, Agents from the FBI and the army visit Judge Lewis again, and their request is more pointed this time. And Judge Lewis looks for other ways to have Liz “neutralized” or turned over to the army’s control, as Liz begins a search for Max and the others.

The Night The Dreams Died



Hell To Pay

Chapter 6

VI



The coffin opened, and Jim and Dan both reached in to touch the corpse. It looked like Michael. It even had injuries evident on the body… injuries that might have been sustained by falling from a motorbike and by being shot with a high-powered rifle. It felt real to the touch. But a careful examination of the face revealed a small bulge at the neckline. Jim pried at it with his fingertip until the bulge became larger. Then the entire face peeled off. Jim handed the “face” to Dan Lubetkin.

“Another mask,” Dan said, passing the mask to Liz, who was sitting beside him in her wheelchair. “Jim, I don’t understand any of this. What’s going on?”

“The judge might be able to help us with that question, Dan,” Jim said… “when he wakes up.”

“You think aliens had something to do with this, Jim?”

“No.”

“Well, that’s good. I was worried that you were going to go that route… like your father did.”

Jim looked up, his face stern and sober. “I thought my father was deluded, too, Dan. But there were things going on that led him to the conclusions he came to. I’m not at liberty to tell you everything I know, but this crime was committed by humans like you and me.”

Jim looked back at the “wounds” on Michael’s “body…”

“Well, maybe not quite like you and me,” he clarified, the anger evident in his voice.

“Jim… if these bodies are all fakes… where are the real ones?”

“That’s what I’m going to find out, Dan… That’s assuming you and the judge will let me do my job now.”

Dan nodded. “You won’t have any problems from the state board or me, Jim. I think I can promise you that. I’ll make sure that Judge Lewis leaves you alone, too.”

“That would help a lot,” Jim said.

“Sir?” Deputy Hansen interrupted, “Have you noticed the hardware on these caskets?”

“What about it, Deputy?”

“Well, it’s all military issue.”

Jim looked at it… “How do you know that? It just looks like regular hardware to me.”

“No, sir. Hardware made for military use has a higher brass content, and some pieces contain titanium… too expensive for your average use. See the color? And look inside…” Hansen pulled part of the ticking away from the casket lid to reveal the hardware from the inside. There were tiny letters, LMM, on one hinge.

“Military hardware often is stamped with letters indicating the plant at which the hardware originated. It helps to track down where something was made when a plane crashes or something.”

“Deputy, remind me to give you a raise.”

Hansen smiled.

“The army, Jim?” Dan said. “You think the army has the bodies?”

Jim just looked at Dan without answering.

“Why? What would the army want with some high school kids’ corpses… unless…”

Jim nodded.

“Jim, this is… I don’t know… maybe I ought to stay out of this.”

Dan and Jim both turned around as they noticed a commotion building behind them. Deputies Carter, Davis, and Johnson were trying to hold someone back… and apparently having little success. Deputy Carter yowled, as a woman’s voice rose over the din…

“Get out of my way or I’ll kick you somewhere that’ll hurt even worse!”

“Amy,” Jim sighed… “Deputies… let her pass.”

The deputies moved aside reluctantly, and Amy charged up to Jim, her face a myriad of conflicting emotions.

“Jim, what is going on here? I hear you’re opening the graves up and checking the bodies, and there’s rumors all over town that the bodies are being mutilated… and taken away.”

Jim shook his head emphatically. “No, Amy, that’s not it! I assure you, we’re not doing anything disrespectful.”

Amy noticed Judge Lewis lying on the ground and the bloody “hand” beside him. Her eyes welled up with tears, and she began to shake.

Jim quickly picked up the hand. “It’s not real, Amy… See?” He peeled a layer of latex from the hand. Dan walked over and showed her the “face” Jim had removed from Michael. Amy gasped.

“Jim, what is going on? What is all this?”

“That’s what we’re trying to find out,” Jim said, trying to sound comforting and in command. “We don’t have all the answers yet.”

“But you know something, Jim. What is it?”

Jim swallowed and realized that he was going to have to tell Amy something.

“The bodies we’ve dug up aren’t real, Amy. They’re fakes… latex mannequins… made to look exactly like Max and Michael.”

“And Maria?”

“We haven’t checked hers yet… or Isabel’s.”

Amy grabbed the shovel beside Michael’s open grave and walked quickly over to Maria’s grave then began to dig.

“Amy, we’ll do that!”

“When, Jim? When you get around to it? I need to know if that’s my daughter in there or… or something else.” Amy began to sob, and Jim put his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. “I need to know where she is, Jim. I need to know if she’s…”

“We’ll find out,” Jim said. “I promise you, Amy. We’ll find out.”

Jim motioned to the gravediggers, and they immediately began to dig Maria’s grave up. In less than twenty minutes, they had the coffin on the ground. Jim held Amy, as she watched, her face white and her eyes wide with fear.

“Open it,” Jim said. Amy turned her face against Jim’s chest and began to cry as the coffin opened and she glimpsed the body inside. “Is it her, Jim?”

Dan and Jeff carefully turned the face, looking for the telltale evidence. It took some time, but Jeff put his fingernail under an almost invisible seam and pulled, and the seam became larger.

“Look, Amy,” Jim said. Amy turned around, as Jeff pulled the face off, leaving a blank head-shaped object where Maria’s face had been.

Amy took the latex mask in her hands and looked at it then looked at the fake body again.

“Who did this, Jim?”

“We think the army may have them,” Deputy Davis said.

Jim shot the deputy a look that let him know immediately that he was out of line.

“I’m… I’m sorry,” the deputy said. “I mean, we don’t know… we were just speculating.”

“Amy,” Jim said, “we have reasons to believe that the army was interested in Max and Michael… and Isabel and Liz and Maria.”

“Because of the alien thing?” Amy asked.

“You know about that?” Jim asked, surprised.

“Well, I knew they weren’t Czechoslovakians, Jim, for God’s sake. I can put two and two together.”

“You never let on…”

“What was I going to say, Jim? Maria, you can’t go out with Michael. He’s an alien? Maria was too much like me, Jim… rebellious and head strong…”

“You, Amy? No…”

Amy shot Jim a sharp look, which all considered, was a lot easier than Deputy Carter had got off.

“Jim, I’m not saying Michael or Max was a real alien, just that there was something different about them, and Maria knew it. Maybe she thought they were aliens. Hell, maybe they were. This is Roswell, right? But I do know that there were certain people who were unusually interested in those kids… including the FBI and some army types. I wouldn’t be surprised if they actually thought they were aliens. And I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that’s where they are now…” Amy looked at the latex “face” again. “I’m going to get answers, Jim. You can count on it. One way or the other… I’m going to get answers.”



**********


At the gate to the army base, the young sergeant was trying heroically to hold his own, but it just wasn’t enough.

“Private, you can get out of my way or you can get run over, but either way, I am going to see the person in charge here.”

“Lady… I’m a sergeant. See the stripes? And secondly, nobody just waltzes in here to see the person in charge. I’m not even sure who that would be.”

“Well, sergeant,” Amy said, edging her Jetta forward, “I will find out!”

The young sergeant placed himself squarely in front of Amy’s car and took his AK-47 off of his shoulder. “Lady,” he said with exasperation evident in his voice, “if you pass this spot, I will have to shoot you.”

At that moment several TV vans pulled up and began unloading cameramen and videocams. Amy smiled, and the young sergeant realized that their arrival was not by coincidence. Obviously, she had called them.

“BACK OFF!” the young sergeant barked at the TV crews in his most authoritative voice. “Lady, turn around NOW and leave… ALL OF YOU… You are trespassing on federal property! I have the authority to shoot anyone who does not leave. Put the cameras down!”

The cameramen looked at each other uneasily and lowered their videocams. Amy edged her Jetta forward again, this time pushing the young sergeant onto the hood. He rolled and jumped off, coming back to his feet in a crouching position with his AK-47 pointed directly at Amy. Immediately all the videocams went back up. The young sergeant hesitated a moment, and that was all it took. Amy pressed down on the accelerator and left desert dust between her and the sergeant, as she drove off toward the base. He raised his weapon again then looked back at the videocams all aimed in his direction. Then he pulled out a walkie-talkie and pressed the button.

“Sir, there’s a civvie on her way in… She’s driving a Volkswagen Jetta. I couldn’t stop her.”

“That’s why we give you a gun, sergeant! Alright. I’ll have her stopped.”

“Roger.”

The young sergeant looked at the camera crews again. “Well, what are you waiting for? The shows over! Get out of here!” To punctuate his order, he pointed his AK-47 in the direction of the nearest cameraman. The crews slowly got back into their vans, then one by one, they drove off.

About a mile down the road, Amy saw a humvee headed toward her moving very fast. She moved to the right slightly to give it plenty of room to pass, but something told her that that wasn’t what it intended to do. Her intuition was right. As the two vehicles drew closer to each other, the humvee swerved in front of Amy, cutting her off. Then, as she tried to go around it, gunfire riddled the side of her Jetta, and she momentarily lost control on the edge of the road. Trying to get back onto the road, she spun the car around, then before she could get it aimed straight again, her doors were jerked open and she was dragged roughly out of the car and thrown on the ground hard. A boot came down on her back, and an AK-47 was placed against her neck.

“Get your foot off of my back, or I will break that leg,” Amy threatened with sincere vehemence, but the corporal only pressed down harder. Amy screamed, as her back felt like it was going to break, and tears came into her eyes. She reached back with her left hand –her right hand was pinned beneath her- and grabbed the gun barrel, pulling it away with a jerk. Not expecting this, the corporal accidentally depressed the trigger for a second, firing ten or twenty rounds into the ground beside Amy. Before he could recover his wits, Amy had rolled over and sat up, biting him hard on the inside of the knee. The corporal howled, and the private with him came to his aid, grabbing Amy and trying to restrain her. Amy, however, had no intention of being subdued again without a fight. She came up off the ground with a handful of dirt in her fist, letting it fly in the private’s face. Momentarily blinded and choking, the private made his biggest mistake. He turned his back on Amy.

Confident that the private would subdue Amy handily, the corporal was still moaning over his injury, his pants leg rolled up beyond the knee so he could see the damage that had been done. Before either one realized what had happened, Amy had the private’s AK-47 in her hands. Seeing Amy grab the private’s gun, the corporal grabbed his own gun and aimed it at Amy, who already had the one in her hands aimed at him.

“Give me back the gun,” the corporal said threateningly.

“It’s not yours,” Amy said. “It’s his.”

“Then give it to him… before I shoot you!”

“It looks to me like a standoff,” Amy said. “You shoot me, I shoot you.”

The corporal swallowed and breathed deep for a moment. “What do you want, lady?”

“I want to see the person in charge here.”

“You can’t.”

Amy shrugged. “Then we can stay here and see who blinks first. I’ve never used one of these before. I never liked guns. I hope my finger doesn’t twitch.”

The corporal paled slightly, realizing that there was a certain honesty in what Amy was saying. He was also hoping that the private didn’t do something stupid like making a grab for his gun while it was aimed at him.

“Okay, look, I’ll call the general… see what he wants to do… Okay? But you’re in a heap of trouble. You don’t know what you’ve got yourself into, lady… You’d be a lot better off hightailing it out of here and never being seen again.”

“Can’t do that,” Amy said. “And my hand’s getting tired. This gun is heavy. That makes my finger twitch.”

“Alright… alright… look, could you just… point it slightly that way… in case your finger… you know?”

Amy shook her head. “Call the general.”

The corporal swallowed again then took out his walkie-talkie with his left hand, as he held his gun on Amy with his right hand.

“Sir, we have a… a situation here.”

“What’s the problem?”

“I, uh, I don’t have complete, um, control of the subject.”

“How the hell can you not have complete control, Connors? Either you have her or you don’t!”

“We sort of have each other, sir.”

There was a long pause on the walkie.

“So you let the subject gain control… Is that what you’re saying?”

“She wants to see you, sir.”

Again, there was a pause.

“Then bring her in,” the voice on the walkie said at last. That was all the general said.

The corporal motioned toward the humvee with his free hand. “Well, you got what you wanted. God help you. You’re gonna need it.”



**********


The general stood up and stared at the wisp of a woman walking into his office. Then he looked at the corporal and the private. Both men looked like they had been through a major battle… scratched, dirty faces and arms… and the corporal was obviously hobbling. The general could barely suppress a smile.

“Is this the demon that got you guys whimpering with your tails tucked between your legs? I’d have you both neutered, but apparently you already have been.”

Both men stood at attention, and both respectfully answered, “Yes, sir” together.

“You’re dismissed. I can handle the big bad lady.”

“Yes, sir,” both men said again, turning to leave.

The general sat back down in his chair, smiling.

“So what is so important that you’re willing to get shot for it?”

“My daughter,” Amy replied simply.

“Oh? And… what would I have to do with your daughter?”

“That’s what I need to find out,” Amy said.

“Who is your daughter?”

“Maria DeLuca.”

The general’s smile wavered then disappeared, but he quickly smiled again as though he didn’t recognize the name.

“Don’t know her.”

“Max Evans, Isabel Evans, Michael Guerin…” Amy said. “Do those names ring a bell?”

The general shook his head. “No. I’m afraid not.”

“Liar!” Amy said. “Trials were held here on the base for men from your special unit who killed them. You wouldn’t forget that.”

“Oh, yes! Now I remember. A shame what happened to those poor kids. But the men that did it were court-martialed. They’d been drinking you know…”

“I was out at the cemetery this morning.”

The general sat quietly for a moment then shrugged. “I know all about it already. I know the sheriff was out there digging the graves up… and I know what he found.”

“And that doesn’t surprise or shock you, General?”

The general tapped his fingers on the desk, trying to decide what the best way to handle this would be.

“What do you think he found?” he asked at last.

“Dummys… mannequins… fakes! Our children… my Maria… isn’t there. I think you can tell me where they are.”

“That’s a bit presumptuous of you,” the general said. “I wouldn’t know where they are. I suggest you ask the county hospital… or the morgue… or the mortician.”

Amy closed her eyes momentarily. “The coffin hinges were military hardware.”

The general’s smile, already faked and weary, disappeared completely.

“You’d better be very careful what you’re insinuating, lady…”

“Amy. Amy DeLuca.”

“Mrs. DeLuca… yes, well… if you spread those kinds of insinuations publicly, I will have to reel you in.”

“And just what does that mean,” Amy asked.

“The army will sue you, Mrs. DeLuca. And you may be thrown in jail… for a very, very long time.”

“General, if you see me shaking, it’s from indignation and anger. You don’t intimidate me.”

“Well, maybe I should,” the general said matter-of-factly.

“How can you sit here and lie about what happened to those children, general? Doesn’t your conscience ever bother you? Didn’t your mother teach you right from wrong?”

The general smiled again. “I didn’t have a mother, Mrs. DeLuca.”

“Well, I would almost believe that, general. Except that it’s physically impossible unless you’re a clone, and I pray to God there’s only one of you.”

“My mother gave me up for adoption when I was a baby, Mrs. DeLuca.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I didn’t miss anything.”

“Somebody raised you. Obviously they didn’t have any morals or didn’t bother to teach you any.”

“Hey! Grandma Hawkins was a saint! Don’t bring her into this!”

“Didn’t she teach you not to lie?”

The general glared at Amy. “Mrs. DeLuca, you are not going to find your daughter’s body on this base. I can assure you that. You have used up your welcome. I’ll have you escorted to the gate.”

“No, you won’t. Not until I get some straight answers. I didn’t risk my life coming here to be brushed off.”

The general pressed a button on his desk, and a voice on the intercom asked him what he needed.

“Please have someone escort Mrs. DeLuca to the main gate… and make sure that she does not return.”

“Yes, sir.”

Within seconds, two burly-looking guards stood in the room.

“Go with them, Mrs. DeLuca. And do yourself a favor. Drop this hunt of yours. It’s only going to bring you to grief. There’s nothing for you to gain from it.”

Amy stood silently, then the guards led her from the room. General Hawkins leaned back in his chair and sighed deeply, calming his nerves, then he buzzed the receptionist again.

“Yes, sir?”

“Jeannie, call my masseuse and have her come to my office… and tell her to bring a bottle of scotch. I need to relax.”

“Yes, sir.”

The general leaned back again and rubbed his temples. Then the buzzer rang again.

“Yes? General Hawkins here. What is it?”

“Sir, the lady has escaped.”

General Hawkins sat up suddenly, his face turned bright red, and the veins in his neck seemed to throb. “Well, get some backup, then! Get her back… and get rid of her!”

“Permanently, sir?”

The general was silent for several moments, as he thought about it. “No… somebody probably knows she’s here. It would be hard to explain… on top of the other problems the sheriff has caused us this morning. Just get her and escort her off the base… IMMEDIATELY!”

“We’re working on it, sir.”

“What does that mean?”

“We don’t know where she is, sir. She’s disappeared.”



**********


In her house above the CrashDown, Liz looked up suddenly. In front of her stood Maria.

“Maria?” Liz gasped. “How did you get here?”

Then Liz realized that the figure in front of her was a vision.

“Can you hear me, Maria? No… I guess not.”

“Liz, if you can hear me or see me… I tried to use the power that Isabel was teaching me… to dreamwalk with you… but I don’t seem to be able to do it. Maybe I’ll learn to… but right now… Liz, I saw you in a vision. I guess I’m developing some kind of power like that, but I still can’t seem to do it when I need to. I know you’re alive. I want you to know… where we are… We need you…”

The vision of Maria began to fade away.

“Maria! Wait! Maria, come back!” Liz said. “Where are you?”

But the vision was gone.


tbc


Coming up: Judge Lewis makes other plans to get rid of Liz. Amy continues to terrorize the army base. And Liz makes an unexpected connection while trying to contact Maria… with someone much further away.

The Night The Dreams Died



Wrath Of Innocents

Chapter 7

VII



Judge Lewis looked up when his door opened and three men let themselves quietly into his chambers.

“That door was locked. How’d you get in? Don’t you guys ever knock?”

Judge Lewis got no answer to his questions; the three men simply ignored them. All three wore street clothes, but Judge Lewis recognized them. He should… they had left enough money on his desk and in his pockets recently.

“You were supposed to get rid of the Parker girl, Horace,” one of the men said calmly, his face stony and emotionless. “You didn’t do that. The Brass isn’t happy.”

“Hey, look, guys, I tried! You know I’ve done everything in my power, but the sheriff is always in my way. And if it’s not him, it’s that deputy of his. And the girl doesn’t seem inclined to want to leave Roswell.”

“Well, you see, Judge, that was your job. You were supposed to incline her… or solve our problem for us in some other way.”

“What problem… What way,” Judge Lewis sputtered, feigning naïveté, but the men again ignored him.

“The Brass doesn’t like ineffectual agents, Judge… and they don’t like failure. We’ve been told to… rectify the situation.”

The blood temporarily drained out of Judge Lewis’ face. He was good at feigning ignorance or pretending not to know what was going on when it served his purposes, but his face said that he understood all too well what the agent was saying.

“Rectify… how…” he stammered.

The agents remained silent for several long moments… allowing Judge Lewis to sweat. Then one of them checked the door to make sure that it was locked. All of them looked around cautiously, then the first one reached inside his jacket. Judge Lewis dropped behind his desk and scooted under it quickly. Crouched there, he waited for the inevitable, but what he heard sounded like something being plopped down above him. Cautiously, Judge Lewis emerged from under his desk and looked at the new pile of money stacked neatly on his desk.

“You… you’re giving me a bonus?”

The second agent patted Judge Lewis gently on the chest in a feigned gesture of friendliness; then suddenly, with no warning, he twisted the judge’s collar tight, cutting off his airway. Judge Lewis wheezed momentarily and tried to protest, but by then nothing would come out and no air would go in. After a few seconds, the agent released the judge’s collar and patted him again in a friendly way.

“Not a bonus, Judge. Let’s call it an ‘incentive.’ The bonus will come if you fail us again… if you’re eager to get a bonus, we can explain the plan.”

Judge Lewis shook his head vigorously. “No! No bonus… I don’t need a bonus. You’ve been very generous! I’ll do what I can.”

“You’ll do what has to be done,” the third agent said. “What you can is irrelevant.”

Judge Lewis nodded.

“And Judge,” the first agent added before closing the door behind them, “That’s a real nice sofa you’ve got over there. I’d change those pants before I sat on it.”




**********


It was dark. The area around them was damp and muggy… and miserable. Maria couldn’t see her own hands, but she knew that Isabel was still beside her. And she could hear a faint plink, plink, plink, as water dripped somewhere nearby.

“Iz, don’t give up on me now… Not here. We’ve come so far…” Maria felt Isabel’s face. It was clammy. “Damn! Max, I really need you! Why did you and Michael go back and try to hold them off for us? If they caught you, it won’t matter that you helped us escape. Isabel will die here, and I will, too… eventually… one way or the other.”

Maria reached out in the dark and pulled Isabel to her. Isabel was shaking. Maria knew that at night it could get very cold here. They had huddled together in these underground tunnels through… well, Maria had lost count of how many nights. She wasn’t even sure that she always knew when it was night or day. The only difference was that at night it got very cold. But it wasn’t cold now. Actually, at the moment, it was uncomfortably warm… and Isabel was shaking.

“I’m so sorry, Iz. I’ve done everything I know how. I can’t heal bullet wounds and bring people back like Max did for us after they brought us here.” Maria pulled Isabel close to try to warm her, and as she touched Isabel’s back, she felt blood trickle over her hand. “Damn, the wound is open again!” She laid Isabel back against the wall then reached down and tore another piece of her own pants leg off and pressed it tightly against Isabel’s back, pushing it gently into the hole left by the bullet that struck her as they were escaping. “I’ve got to try to stop the bleeding…

Max, I need you… Oh, God, I need you!”

Maria pushed the cloth carefully into the wound. She had no tape… nothing with which to make a bandage. Several days before, she had half-torn, half-cut the waist band off of Isabel’s pants with a small piece of broken glass she had found and then pulled the waist band up to her lower back to hold the previous “plug” in place. Now she pulled the band back over the new plug. It seemed to be working… for the moment. The bleeding had stopped again.

“Iz, I still need you. Don’t give up now. You’ve got to teach me how to dreamwalk without you helping me. You promised, remember? You have to hang on. A promise is a promise, Iz. You can’t go back on a promise. We…” Maria choked back tears. “Just don’t give up, Iz. We’ll make it. You’ve just got to hang on.”

Maria reached over to pull Isabel back against her own body again to warm her, and as she did, she saw a flash of bright light… and a glimpse of someone hiding… someone familiar…

“Mom?” Maria started to yell, but she realized that she couldn’t. It might give them away if anyone heard her… and secondly, she realized that what she had seen was a vision… Her mother could be anywhere.

“Did you do that, Isabel?” Maria asked. Isabel didn’t answer. Maria pulled Isabel close again and closed her eyes, concentrating. “Isabel, help me out here if you can hear me.”

Suddenly, Maria saw Amy clearly. She was crouching behind a large stack of steel storage drums. Then she sneaked out and ran to a new hiding place, passing behind two soldiers who were talking to each other.

“Mom, it is you,” Maria whispered. “You’re here! But how? Where are you?” Maria concentrated harder. “Mom, try to see me. Try to see me.”

Amy stopped and looked around momentarily with a puzzled look on her face. “Maria?” Then she shook her head and ducked underneath a large craft of some kind. As she did, the two men turned and looked around the room. Knowing that she would be seen if she couldn’t find a place to hide quickly, and noticing that the craft was open on the bottom, Amy climbed inside. The two guards looked around the large room a couple of times and, seeing nothing amiss, resumed their discussion.

Amy stood up and looked around the interior of the craft. It seemed large for an airplane, but she guessed that this was because all the seats had been removed… or not put in yet. In any case, there was a lot of room to move around inside. Amy walked along the wall on the left side until she came to a door. She knew that she probably shouldn’t, but curiosity had always been her biggest weakness. She reached for the door but found no door handle. Feeling certain that there had to be some way to open a door, Amy felt around the wall and on the door itself for any evidence of an opening device. Then, frustrated, she sat down on the floor in front of the door and stared at it.

After a few minutes, Amy stood up again and looked around. The only thing she could see was a square outline of some kind on the wall near the door. But there was no handle on the square… nothing to pull or push… not even any evidence of a sensor of some kind. But the square was the only thing around… there was nothing else… so Amy pushed on the area inside the square. Nothing happened. She hadn’t really expected anything to happen, but she had hoped that maybe…

Not to be defeated so easily, she pressed it again, placing the palm of her hand flat against the area inside the square. This time, there was a flash. Amy suddenly saw Maria.

“Mom, try to see me! I’m here, Mom!”

Amy looked around frantically. “I hear you, baby. Where are you? Oh, God!”

Amy looked around for several moments but saw nothing. “Maria? Where did you go? I heard you! I didn’t imagine it…” There was no reply. Amy turned back toward the door and saw that it was now open… and in the square outline beside the door, a handprint had appeared. She put her hand against the print again. It didn’t seem to have any effect. Somehow the door had opened at the exact moment she got the flash of Maria calling her. She had had her hand against the square when she got the flash… and at that precise moment, the handprint had appeared and the door had opened. It had to be connected. Not one to question the whys for too long, Amy quickly walked into what appeared to be a control room… but not like any she had ever seen. She reached out and touched the console… then her hand came upon a large crystal that was inserted into a niche in the console. The crystal moved. Carefully, she extracted it from its cradle and looked at it. Then she slipped it into her pocket.

Amy sat down in one of the control seats and looked around her at all the sophisticated gadgetry and sensors. She had seen the cockpit controls of a 747 once. They had been unbelievably impressive. This was less… cluttered… but somehow more impressive. She wasn’t exactly sure why. It seemed somehow… otherworldly. As Amy thought about it, she noticed something glimmer above her head. It was a tiny device of some kind, and it appeared to be attached to a small rod near the ceiling magnetically, so she detached it and looked at it. It looked very much like a tiny spycam, but it was no bigger than an average-sized setting in a ring, and that set Amy’s mind to thinking. She placed the tiny camera-like device on her ring, and it stuck. Then she ran her hands over the console to see if there was anything else that looked unusual. Not finding anything else that looked like it might be useful to her, Amy sat back in her seat and thought for a while about what she should do next.

Amy knew that if she was going to find Maria or the others she needed to be moving. She had probably already sat here for twenty minutes. That was long enough. She turned in her seat and stood up… and found herself face to face with six soldiers with their rifles all pointed at her heart.

For several moments, no one spoke and no one moved. Then Amy swallowed.

“I must have taken a wrong turn off of 285. Imagine that! I’ll just be on my way if you gentlemen will move aside.”

It wasn’t working. Not that she had ever entertained any real thoughts that it would.

A young corporal showed up at that moment and staked out a position between Amy and the six armed soldiers. “General Hawkins wants to see you… Now!”

“Well, really guys, I don’t think we hit it off so well the last time we were together. That was kind of a relationship that just wasn’t meant to be, you know what I mean? If you’ll just tell the General that for me, I’m sure he’ll understand, and…”

The young corporal stepped out of the way, and the rifles all went to ready.

“Okay, okay. I’m going! But I’m telling you, this is not my idea of a good time. The General needs to find a girl who’s more into S&M. I’m more plain vanilla… Okay, maybe raspberry, really, I guess, but…”

“Move it!” the young corporal harfed in an annoyed tone. “And shut up.”

“Doesn’t anyone in this placed have any manners,” Amy asked abashedly. The young corporal gave her a stabbing look.



**********


The door opened, and Amy walked into General Hawkins’ office suite, followed closely by the six soldiers with their rifles still pointed at her. This time, the General was not smiling, and he did not request that the soldiers put down their guns or leave him alone with her.

“Mrs. DeLuca,” General Hawkins said, in a very annoyed tone, “You have done what no one else has ever managed to do in all the years I have been in the military. You have made me look like a complete fool.”

Amy shrugged. “It was nothing, sir, really.”

General Hawkins bristled but ignored Amy’s comment.

“Mrs. DeLuca, what am I going to do with you?”

“Well, sir, I tried to tell these boys that it just wasn’t going to work out between us. I’m really not looking for the Romeo and Juliet thing right now, you know…”

“Romeo and Juliet wasn’t what I had in mind, Mrs. DeLuca. I was thinking more along the lines of Henry the eighth.”

Amy swallowed. “You wouldn’t do anything to me, General. Too many people know where I am.”

The General shook his head. “Your car was seen driving off the base about three hours ago. It went over the side of Bald Mountain near the upper pass. That was a drop of about 700 feet, I believe. I understand it was a very fiery crash. The sheriff of Copper City is on the site now, but no remains have been found. The fire was so intense, you know…” The General smiled and waited for Amy’s reaction.

“You can’t just get rid of me, General…”

The General nodded. “Corporal, take Mrs. DeLuca away… and make sure that her departure is permanent.”

“Permanent, sir?”

“Permanent, Corporal. You heard me.”

Amy looked at her ring. “General, do you know what this is?”

“A ring? You think I’m worried about your husband? You don’t have one, Mrs. DeLuca. Don’t you think I know that? And if you did, it wouldn’t matter.”

Amy detached the tiny camera-like device and held it in her hand. “Not the ring, General, the camera.”

General Hawkins’ smile left him, and some of the blood drained from his face. “Let me see that!”

The corporal took it from Amy’s hand and handed it to the General. He turned it over several times. “Where did you get this?”

“From the TV station,” Amy said, bluffing. “Everything going on here is being recorded by all three local networks… and by now probably by CNN and Fox, too.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Amy smiled. “It doesn’t matter whether you believe it or not.”

General Hawkins swallowed. There was a long pause, as he thought about the possible consequences of this revelation.

“Corporal!” General Hawkins said at end.

“Yes, sir!”

“Didn’t you hear me? Escort Mrs. DeLuca off the base, and make sure that she stays away from here permanently this time. You got that?”

“Just off the base, sir?”

“Of course, just off the base! What did you think I meant?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Oh, and Mrs. DeLuca… I was trying to make a point with you about how dangerous it can be for a civilian to be running around out here unaccompanied. I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”

“Of course not,” Amy said. “What about my car?”

The General breathed deeply. “It was damaged, Mrs. DeLuca. It was unsafe to drive… and since it was on the base, it was our obligation to dispose of it in a safe manner. As I told you, it was being towed to a recycling plant, but it broke loose on the pass and went over the side. Fortunately, no one was in it, so there was no one hurt in the accident.”

“That car was my only means of transportation.”

General Hawkins set his jaw tightly and forced a smile. “I’ll see if we can find you a replacement, Mrs. DeLuca. The Army wasn’t responsible for what happened to your car, you know. The damage to your car was your own fault. We had to dispose of it responsibly. But I’m sure Washington would not want to make a big deal out of this. I’ll get you a new car.”

“New?”

“New,” General Hawkins muttered. “Corporal!”

“Yes, sir!”

General Hawkins pointed at the door. The corporal pushed Amy out and escorted her quickly to a waiting humvee. There, the corporal had handcuffs and chains placed on Amy’s wrists and feet, then she was driven off the base, followed by three more humvees with four armed soldiers in each one.

Back in General Hawkins’ office, the General was still examining the tiny camera-like device.

“Lieutenant!”

“Yes, sir!” a young lieutenant said, hurrying into the General’s office.

“Have you ever seen anything like this?”

“Looks like a spy camera, sir.”

“I know what it looks like, lieutenant. Have you ever seen one like this one?”

“Well… not this small, sir. But they’re making them smaller every day.”

“Hmmm, yes, but I’m usually kept abreast of developments that might be useful to me. Lieutenant, how did the DeLuca woman get into the craft?”

“The bottom hatch was left open, sir. The crew trying to get into the control room was planning to return later today to try again with a new type of torch.”

“But the DeLuca woman got into the control room, lieutenant. I want to know how!”

“We don’t know how, sir. After she came back out, the door closed again.”

“And it didn’t occur to any of you to put something there to jam it or station someone inside the control room while the door was open?”

“Uh, no sir. How would someone inside get back out after the door closed?”

“I don’t know, lieutenant! I don’t care! Maybe there’s a door handle inside!”

“I don’t think so, sir.”

“Lieutenant, we’ve had this craft in our hangar for sixty years… give or take a few years… and no one, ever, has been able to find so much as a seam or a rivet anywhere on the craft. We can’t dismantle it. No one has ever been able to get into the control room. No torch or blaster will melt or penetrate the metal… or whatever the hell it is the thing’s made of. It has frustrated every effort we have made to open the control room or dismantle the ship for SIXTY DAMN YEARS! And that woman just goes in and, open-sesame! The door opens for her?”

“It seems that way, sir.”

“Find out why! I want someone watching that woman twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. I don’t want her to go to the bathroom without someone knowing where she is. You got that?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Good. I’m surprised she didn’t ask you idiots if there was a key and fly the thing away under your noses! Get out of here. Oh, and lieutenant…”

“Sir?”

“Find out who makes these tiny spycams. I need some. And find out why I wasn’t advised of their development. I don’t like having local TV networks using equipment that I didn’t even know existed.”

“Yes, sir!”



**********


Liz sat on a park bench, her wheelchair nearby, tossing seeds to the birds and enjoying the sunshine. Her diary lay at her side, where she had been writing in it moments earlier.

“Hello, Liz.”

Liz looked up and smiled. “Sheriff! What brings you out to the park?”

“Four of my best deputies are, uh, bird watching somewhere out here. I thought I’d check up on them.”

“Bird watching?”

“Yeah, well, you never know what you’ll see out here, Liz. Besides, I enjoy the park, too. It’s a pleasant place to spend time.”

“I know.” Liz smiled.

“I see you’re writing in your diary again. That’s good! It’s important to come to terms with one’s feelings. A diary’s a good way to do that.”

Liz picked the diary up and held it out to Jim.

“What? You want me to read it?”

Liz nodded.

“Oh, I… Liz, this is personal. I don’t think I should.”

“It’s not the juicy romantic stuff or my hot sex escapades, Sheriff,” Liz said with a sly grin. “I keep all that in another diary… under lock and key.”

Jim smiled. “Oh, okay then. What do you want me to read?”

Liz flipped the pages and handed it back to Jim. Jim read the page. Then he turned and read the next page… and the next. Finally, he closed the book and handed it back to Liz.

“Is this like your hopes for what your life will be like in the future, Liz? Or are you planning to publish it and go for a sci-fi award… one of those Yugos or whatever that guy at graduation had?”

“Hugo,” Liz, corrected. A Yugo’s a little car… about the same size, I think. I can see how you could confuse them.” She smiled coyly.

“Actually,” Liz continued, “it’s more complicated than that, Sheriff. I’ve been having dreams… or visions… sometimes when I’m asleep and sometimes when I’m awake, of another place. I think it’s Max’s planet, you know, Antar. And the people there are us. I’m there, Max is there, Maria and Michael are there… even you’re there, Sheriff.”

Jim smiled. “Well, that does sound exciting. I don’t see how it can be anything but a dream, though, Liz. Maybe it’s like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. You know, all her friends were there… This planet hasn’t gotten quite used to me yet. I don’t think I could break another planet in at this stage in my life.”

Liz nodded. “I know it sounds incredible on the surface of it, Sheriff, but when I’m seeing this other place… this other life… it all seems so right… so… I don’t know, like it’s supposed to be or something… and this…” she indicated the wheelchair… “all seems so wrong.”

Jim sat down beside Liz and put his arm around her. “It is wrong, Liz. You shouldn’t be in that chair. You should be going to college, meeting the guy of your dreams, or going with Max if that’s who it is, learning about life’s… happy times. Not about life’s dark side. I can understand why you’re having these dreams.

“You don’t think I’m crazy then, Sheriff?”

Jim laughed. “Crazy? We should all be crazy like you, Liz. The world would be a lot better place! No, I don’t think you’re crazy. You have an invincible spirit that will get you through the darkest parts of life by showing you light when you need it most. I don’t know where that light is coming from… if it’s real or in your mind… but it’s not crazy. It’s the most sane thing I could ever imagine. I’ve seen too many people give up under stress and allow themselves to drift off into self pity, anger, even self-loathing. And the world says, hey that’s normal… They should be feeling angry and bitter. But you’ve never felt anger or bitterness, Liz. You just see things the way they should be. And that’s why you will find your happiness. You will.”

Liz wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and kissed Jim on the cheek.

“Thanks, Sheriff. With friends like you and Kyle, I know I will.”

“Will you be okay here for a while, Liz? I need to check on my deputies.”

“Sure,” Liz said. “I like being out here with the birds and my thoughts… and my diary. I’ll be fine. Vera’s just over there at the fountains anyway. She’ll be back to get me in about an hour. I asked her to leave me alone for a while. But I’m really glad you came by, Sheriff! You make me feel like everything’s going to be fine!”

“It is, Liz. You’ll make sure of that. Trust me.”

Liz smiled.

“I’ll pass back by here in a little while to check on you, Liz.”

“Okay.”

Liz went back to feeding the birds, but no more than two minutes later, another person approached. Liz looked up at the new arrival.

“Judge Lewis?”

Without speaking or asking permission, the judge sat down beside Liz. Liz pulled herself to the other side of the bench automatically without being aware she was doing it.

“Miss Parker.”

Liz waited to see what the judge was going to say.

“I’ve been thinking about you… what you’ve been through and all. I would think you would be happier somewhere where they can give you more help… or therapy… you know, a big city or something. Roswell’s such a little place really. A girl with your… needs… doesn’t belong here.”

“I’m happy here, Judge. My friends are here. I grew up here.”

“Yes, well, most of your friends have gone off to college, but you’re stuck here, unable to do anything but depend on the charity of people like Sheriff Valenti to take care of you.”

“The sheriff is a friend. I’m not charity to him… or to any of my friends, Judge.”

“Is that what you think? He sees someone in need and he takes time out from his valuable time to try to help them. We have to do things like that as city officials. It’s incumbent of us… you know, it’s expected. But do you really think you’re doing him any favors by making him have to take care of you like an invalid daughter? It costs him valuable time. It costs the city valuable time. Do you really think he’d rather be pushing some invalid girl around in a wheelchair than finishing his shift so he could go out on a date or something once in a while? He’s not married you know. He needs to have time for a life, too.”

Liz wiped another tear from her eyes. “I didn’t know I was being a burden to anyone. The sheriff is just being a good friend. I’ll make sure that he doesn’t spend too much ‘valuable’ city time with me.”

“Well, Miss Parker, that might seem easy to you, but as long as you are here, he will always have to take care of you. As good public servants, we have to do that. So you will always be a burden. But don’t take that wrong, Miss Parker. I feel sorry for you. I really do. I’m not blaming you. What happened to you is just unpleasant circumstance. No one could have foreseen it. You couldn’t have stopped it. But you can do something now, Miss Parker… for yourself and for the Sheriff’s benefit. He won’t tell you this. But you know he’d like to.”

Liz sniffed and wiped her cheek. Then she looked Judge Lewis in the eyes.

“Judge, with all due respect, what you’re doing is feeding me a load of horse manure! You can try to make me feel bad about being dependent on others, but my heart tells me that I’m not as big a burden as you’re pretending I am. And my heart tells me that I have friends here… real friends… not like you! So I would really just appreciate it if you would leave now. If you have anything else to say, I’m sure the Sheriff or my father would be interested in hearing it.”

Judge Lewis flushed and stood up.

“Well, Miss Parker, I was trying to be kind to you. I could have you institutionalized. You’ve been through a lot. It’s not unusual for people in your… situation… to require psychiatric help. There’s a very good psychiatric hospital over in Arizona I could get you in to…”

“Judge, just leave! Please!”

“You’re refusal to accept our charitable help, Miss Parker, could be construed by a court as evidence of your need for psychiatric help.”

“Especially if you were the judge, right, Judge? I said leave! I even said please!”

“What’s this,” Judge Lewis asked, grabbing Liz’s diary.

“Give me that back! That’s mine! That’s private! You can’t take my diary! VERA! HELP ME! SHERIFF VALENTI! HELP! …Please. Give me back my diary.”

Judge Lewis thumbed through several pages smiling, then he stuck the diary into his pocket.

“This should do nicely, Miss Parker. Very nicely.”

As the judge turned around, something that felt like a sledgehammer slammed head on into his jaw, breaking it and laying him out flat on the ground. Liz looked up at her benefactor…

“Alex! Omigod, Alex!”

Sheriff Valenti was right beside Alex, and Vera was running across the grass from the fountains, where she had heard Liz screaming for help.

Alex shook his hand up and down several times. “Ow, that hurt.” Then he smiled. “But it was worth it. Looked like you needed some help. I just happened to be in the neighborhood.”

Liz took Alex’s hand and pulled him down beside her then hugged him and started to cry. Sheriff Valenti saw Liz’s diary fall out of Judge Lewis’ pocket, and he picked it up and brushed it off.

“I think this is yours, Liz.”

Liz nodded. “Thanks, Sheriff… Sheriff?”

“Yes?”

“Am I… Am I being a burden to you… or others… by staying here in Roswell?”

Sheriff Valenti looked at Judge Lewis, who was moaning as he regained consciousness, and suppressed an urge to kick him back into his more amenable unconscious state.

“Don’t ever think that, Liz! No matter what anyone ever tells you. DO NOT EVER think that again! You’re no burden to me or to anyone here. You’re an inspiration to us. Some company possibly excluded,” Jim said, looking at Judge Lewis.

“Sheriff!” Judge Lewis moaned.

“Can I help you up, Judge?”

“Sheriff, arrest this young man! He hit me! I think my jaw is broke!” Judge Lewis spit blood out into his hand, and two teeth fell into his hand with it. He appeared faint, as though he might pass out again.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Judge,” Jim said. “You just had a bad fall. You need to be looked at by a doctor.”

“Arrest him first, Sheriff! He hit me!”

“Well, I didn’t exactly see that, Judge. You turned around fast and tripped over my foot. I guess you hit your jaw on the pavement. I’m really sorry about my foot being in the way.”

“It wasn’t your foot, Jim! I know a foot from a fist! That boy hit me!”

“You’re delusional right now, Judge. For your own safety, I’m going to have to have one of my deputies take you to a hospital for treatment. If you persist with this accusation, I’ll have to tell the court that I witnessed it and you tripped over my foot… after stealing Miss Parker’s diary and trying to flee with it.”

Judge Lewis glared at Jim but said nothing. By now, his jaw was hurting so bad that he was asking Deputy Carter, who had just arrived, to take him to the hospital. Deputy Carter led him to his patrol car and put him in the back then drove off.

“Thank you, Sheriff. Thank you so much,” Liz said sincerely.

“Yeah,” Alex said, nodding… “for me, too. I thought you were going to have to lock me up.”

Jim chuckled. “No… I’ve wanted to do that myself for years. You just lived out my fantasies for me.”

“I feel bad about causing you to have to lie for me,” Alex said.

“Shhh! It wasn’t a complete lie, Alex. I did have my foot out, and Judge Lewis did fall over it… accidentally, of course. Anything else that might have hit him, too, even if it helped him fall over my foot, is irrelevant here, and I think we can just keep it to ourselves.”

“Thanks, Sheriff.”

“Don’t mention it. Really.”



**********


“Liz, will you be alright now,” Alex asked, as he stood up and started to walk to the door of the Parkers’ house above the CrashDown.

“Yeah. Thanks again, Alex! You don’t know what it means to me to have friends like you and Kyle and the Sheriff. I just wish we could find Max, Maria and Isabel. That would be so great.”

Alex nodded. “Yeah. That would be great, Liz. But I hope you won’t get frustrated if, you know…”

“No, they’re alive, Alex! I feel it! I saw Max, and I saw Maria in visions. I saw Max when I touched his ring, and Maria was trying to contact me. I think Isabel was helping her.”

“Maybe you should try to contact her back, Liz. You probably have more chance of doing that than she does. Maria doesn’t have any powers… unless…”

“Unless what?”

“Unless Max healed her after she was shot and she’s starting to develop some. Liz, do you still have those orbs that Max had?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, Max and Michael always thought that the orbs might be some kind of communication devices. Why don’t you try them… see if you can contact Maria?”

“Will you help me, Alex?”

“Yeah, I guess I can stay a while longer.”

Liz rolled her chair into her room and returned with the orbs. “What do we do with them, Alex?” She held one orb and handed Alex the other one. Alex placed the orb to his ear and walked around the room, saying, “Can you hear me now? Can you hear me now?”

Liz started to laugh. “Be serious, Alex.”

“I made you laugh.”

“Yeah,” Liz nodded. “Thanks, Alex.”

“Try putting them together,” Alex suggested. Liz took both of the orbs and placed them beside each other. “What now?”

“I don’t know. Maybe we need to touch them or something.”

“Yeah, that would make sense,” Liz said. She took Alex’s hand and placed it on top of the two orbs, then she placed her hands on top of his. “I’m going to concentrate, Alex. I’m going to think about Maria.”

“Is this going to be a long distance call, Liz… ‘cause roaming charges can get pretty steep you know.”

Liz giggled. “Alex, please. Be serious.”

Liz closed her eyes and cleared her mind of everything but Maria. Alex did the same. As he did, there was a bright light. It didn’t flash on; it just sort of grew until it looked like daylight. Then they both saw Maria. She was wearing some kind of exotic-looking swimsuit and walking out of a golden-colored ocean. Her hair hung down, wet, over her shoulders and back, but she looked beautiful… even if more than a few years older.

Liz and Alex approached Maria, and Liz waved her hands back and forth. “Maria, can you see me?”

“Can you see us,” Alex repeated.

“What’s got into you two,” Maria said. “Of course I see you. You’re standing right in front of me. I may have salt water in my eyes, but I haven’t gone blind.”

Liz and Alex both looked at the sand around them. They were indeed standing on the beach. Liz felt the breeze. She heard the low swish of the surf. She felt the warm sand under her feet and felt the salt water rushing over her feet… Her feet? She hadn’t even realized until now that she was standing up… and her wheelchair was nowhere in sight.

“Omigod,” Liz said, as reality began to set in. “Alex, where are we?”



tbc

Coming Next: Liz and Alex meet Liz and Alex. Judge Lewis continues to try to get rid of Liz but is not prepared for the surprise he gets. Amy’s misadventures continue to cause ripples on the army base… and in a place much further away. And the search is on for Maria and Isabel… and Max and Michael.

The Four Faces of Rath Guest Chapter
for The Night The Dreams Died



E.T. Call Home

Chapter 8

VIII



The young AVMTech at the Antar Space Field outside CoruzAntar knocked anxiously on the door of his supervisor’s office.

“Enter! The door’s open!”

“Sir! We are receiving a transmission from a ship that was lost seventy years ago. We have video and audio from the vessel.”

The supervisor looked up, obviously interested. “Where is it? Do we know which vessel it is?”

“Yes, sir. A70932. It was lost 70 years ago on Eluymer, the planet Zan and Rath grew up on. It was one of the original ships sent there… part of the scouting mission sent to find a secure site for the pods and the granolith. After the primary ship crashed, two ships returned, and a fourth disappeared.”

“Yes, I remember. It was always believed that it stayed on Eluymer, or ‘Earth’ as the Eluymerians call it, to try to rescue the crew of the crashed vessel and help to secure the… cargo. I guess we can say it now, the pods. It’s no longer a secret… Kivar is only a bad memory now. No one from that ship ever returned, and they never contacted the home base again. After twenty years, it was all but taken for granted that the entire crew was lost due to some unknown tragedy.”

“Yes, sir. Well, the E.T. came back on unexpectedly this morning. You will want to see the video and audio that have been intercepted from the ship since the telemetry began arriving again.”

“Do you have it with you, Dak?”

“Yes, sir!” The young tech took a small crystal from his pocket and inserted it into a device on the supervisor’s desk. A screen on the opposite wall came on. As they watched, the vessel’s onboard camera, called an Emergency Telemetry Monitor, or E.T. for short, suddenly came to life; then, a second later, the door to the control room opened and someone walked in. It was a woman.

“Sir, I know this woman,” the young tech said. “It’s Varec’s wife.”

“The Eluymerian?” The supervisor seemed surprised. “Hmmm… yes, it does look like her… but this woman is younger than Varec’s wife. And besides, I saw Varec and his wife only yesterday here in CoruzAntar. They were on their way to that Eluymerian ‘Café,’ the ‘CrashDown,’ to eat.”

“It’s a good restaurant, sir.”

The supervisor nodded. “It’s very popular with the younger people. I know older ones who like it, too, though. Dak, did you say that this signal just began coming in this morning?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Hmmm.”

As they watched, the young woman looked up suddenly and stared directly into the tiny camera, which was no bigger than a small sunflower seed. The E.T. was attached magnetically to a wire-thin but unbendable bar that ran across the ceiling of the craft. The young woman reached up and removed the tiny camera from the bar… then, after examining it, she appeared to attach it to herself in some manner.

“I believe she has attached it to a ring on her finger, sir,” the young tech said. The supervisor nodded.

For a time, the young woman sat in the pilot’s seat, thinking… and occasionally looking around at the console and systems monitors. Then she appeared to be about to leave, but as she stood up, she stopped again suddenly.

“Why did she stop,” the supervisor asked.

“You’ll see in just a moment, sir. Here it is now.”

The young woman moved her hand, and the two men saw that six armed soldiers were pointing weapons at her. The supervisor gasped.

“Eluymerian soldiers! …in charge of our craft! Where is our crew? Who is this woman?”

The young tech shook his head. “Not certain, sir. She does look very much like Varec’s wife to me, though, sir. It is possible, given the evidence seen here, that the Eluymerians also have our crew. If that is the case, I would not be overly optimistic about their survival after seventy years, sir.”

The supervisor shook his head sadly. “I’m afraid I have to agree with you, Dak.”

As Dak and his supervisor watched, the young woman made an oddly nonchalant remark; by all appearances, seeming to take the danger she was in much too lightly…

“I must have taken a wrong turn off of 285. Imagine that! I’ll just be on my way if you gentlemen will move aside.”

The supervisor looked at Dak questioningly. “What is 285, Dak?”

“I don’t know, sir. By their reaction, I believe that she is being insincere with them… possibly offering an explanation for why she is there.”

The supervisor nodded. “Yes, and she believes that they will allow her to leave, but it appears that this is a misconception on her part.”

At that moment, another soldier, one who appeared to have a higher ranking, showed up and stood between the young woman and the six men with guns. “General Hawkins wants to see you… Now!”

The young woman replied in a facetious tone that both the supervisor and Dak understood readily, “Well, really guys, I don’t think the General and I hit it off so well the last time we were together. That was kind of a relationship that just wasn’t meant to be, you know what I mean? If you’ll just tell the General that for me, I’m sure he’ll understand, and…”

The young soldier with the higher rank stepped out of the way, and the weapons all went to ready.

“Okay, okay. I’m going! But I’m telling you, this is not my idea of a good time. The General needs to find a girl who’s more into S&M. I’m more plain vanilla… Okay, maybe raspberry, really, I guess, but…”

“Move it!” the young soldier with the higher rank said in an annoyed tone. “And shut up.”

The soldiers forced the young woman to walk a considerable distance down several long halls until they came to an office, which appeared to be their final destination. The one with the higher rank opened the door and they all went in, forcing the young woman to enter ahead of them. The soldiers kept their weapons pointed at the young woman as she went in. Inside, there was a man seated behind a desk. He appeared to be someone of importance as far as the soldiers were concerned. Even the young soldier with the higher rank showed deference to him.

“Mrs. DeLuca,” the man behind the desk said, in a very annoyed tone, “You have done what no one else has ever managed to do in all the years I have been in the military. You have made me look like a complete fool.”

The young woman shrugged. “It was nothing, sir, really.”

The supervisor looked at Dak and smiled. “I think I like her, Dak. She has sh’mys. She appears not to like this man, and he has an air of pompousness to him that I find distasteful.”

“Yes, sir,” the young Tech said. “I agree, sir.”

“Mrs. DeLuca, what am I going to do with you?” the pompous-looking man behind the desk asked.

“Well, sir, I tried to tell these boys that it just wasn’t going to work out between us. I’m really not looking for the Romeo and Juliet thing right now, you know…”

“Romeo and Juliet wasn’t what I had in mind, Mrs. DeLuca. I was thinking more along the lines of Henry the eighth.”

The supervisor reached up and stopped the playback momentarily.

“Dak… Isn’t DeLuca the name of Varec’s wife?”

“I believe so, sir. She uses two names, like most Eluymerians. Her full unmarried name was Amy DeLuca.”

“But how can this woman be Varec’s wife if this transmission came from Eluymer today, and I saw Varec’s wife here only yesterday?”

“Maybe she went to Eluymer with the sphere that Zan uses,” the young tech said.

“Yes, that’s possible, I guess,” the supervisor agreed. “But still, this woman is years younger than Varec’s wife, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Um, yes, sir. It would appear so, sir. I can’t explain it.”

The supervisor replayed the last two lines of the transmission.

“Well, sir, I tried to tell these boys that it just wasn’t going to work out between us. I’m really not looking for the Romeo and Juliet thing right now, you know…”

“Romeo and Juliet wasn’t what I had in mind, Mrs. DeLuca. I was thinking more along the lines of Henry the eighth.”

“Do you know who this Romeo and Juliet are that she is referring to, Dak… or the Henry the eighth that he is referring to? It could be important.”

“Yes, sir,” the tech said. “Actually, I saw something only a few days ago about them on the Eluymer channel… the virtual link that Varec established to the Eluymerian’s cable system. Romeo and Juliet were two young lovers, barely teenagers, who were not allowed to be together. He killed himself because he believed that she had died, but she had not. When she saw that he had killed himself, she killed herself, too.”

The supervisor seemed perplexed. “Do you think this young woman, DeLuca, intends to kill herself? These people are so strange. I do not always understand them.”

“I believe… sir… that she is probably referring to her relationship with the pompous one in the chair. She means that he is her Romeo and she is his Juliet… romantically.”

“You cannot mean that, Dak.”

“Well… perhaps she was being facetious, sir. I believe she did say that being Romeo and Juliet with him was not her desire, not that it was her desire.”

“I’m sure that is what she meant, Dak. It is obvious that she does not like the man. Who is this Henry the eighth that he compared himself to?”

“Henry the eighth was a king on Eluymer who had many of his wives executed. Their heads were cut off.”

“So he is threatening her by comparing himself to this king?”

“Yes, I believe so, sir. I believe that is her impression, too, based on her reaction.”

“Play the rest, Dak.”

The young tech started the sequence again from where it had left off.

“You wouldn’t do anything to me, General. Too many people know where I am,” the young woman said.

The pompous man shook his head. “Your car was seen driving off the base about three hours ago. It went over the side of Bald Mountain near the upper pass. That was a drop of about 700 feet, I believe. I understand it was a very fiery crash. The sheriff of Copper City is on the site now, but no remains have been found. The fire was so intense, you know…”

“Dak, I believe this woman is in danger. Even I understood that to be a threat.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You can’t just get rid of me, General…” the young woman said.

The pompous man smiled and nodded, indicating that he believed that he could. “Corporal, take Mrs. DeLuca away… and make sure that her departure is permanent.”

“Permanent, sir?”

“Permanent, Corporal. You heard me.”

The young woman held up her ring. “General, do you know what this is?”

“A ring? You think I’m worried about your husband? You don’t have one, Mrs. DeLuca. Don’t you think I know that? And if you did, it wouldn’t matter.”

The young woman detached the tiny E.T. and held it in her hand. “Not the ring, General, the camera.”

“Let me see that!” the pompous officer said, the smile on his face quickly fading away.

The corporal took it from Amy’s hand and handed it to the General. He turned it over several times. “Where did you get this?”

“From the TV station,” the young woman said, obviously lying. “Everything going on here is being recorded by all three local networks… and by now probably by CNN and Fox, too.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“It doesn’t matter whether you believe it or not.”

The pompous man swallowed, and there was a long pause.

“Corporal!” the pompous man said at end.

“Yes, sir!”

“Didn’t you hear me? Escort Mrs. DeLuca off the base, and make sure that she stays away from here permanently this time. You got that?”

“Just off the base, sir?”

“Of course, just off the base! What did you think I meant?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Oh, and Mrs. DeLuca… I was trying to make a point with you about how dangerous it can be for a civilian to be running around out here unaccompanied. I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”

“Of course not,” the young woman said. “What about my car?”

“It was damaged, Mrs. DeLuca. It was unsafe to drive… and since it was on the base, it was our obligation to dispose of it in a safe manner. As I told you, it was being towed to a recycling plant, but it broke loose on the pass and went over the side. Fortunately, no one was in it, so there was no one hurt in the accident.”

“That car was my only means of transportation.”

The pompous man seemed to be making a forced effort to smile. “I’ll see if we can find you a replacement, Mrs. DeLuca. The Army wasn’t responsible for what happened to your car, you know. The damage to your car was your own fault. We had to dispose of it responsibly. But I’m sure Washington would not want to make a big deal out of this. I’ll get you a new car.”

“New?”

“New,” the pompous man muttered. “Corporal!”

“Yes, sir!”

The General pointed at the door.

After the soldiers had taken the young woman away, the General continued to examine the tiny monitor.

“Lieutenant!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Have you ever seen anything like this?”

“Looks like a spy camera, sir.”

“I know what it looks like, lieutenant. Have you ever seen one like this one?”

“Well… not this small, sir. But they’re making them smaller every day.”

“Hmmm, yes, but I’m usually kept abreast of developments that might be useful to me. Lieutenant, how did the DeLuca woman get into the craft?”

“The bottom hatch was left open, sir. The crew trying to get into the control room was planning to return later today to try again with a new type of torch.”

“But the DeLuca woman got into the control room, lieutenant. I want to know how!”

“We don’t know how, sir. After she came back out, the door closed again.”

“And it didn’t occur to any of you to put something there to jam it or station someone inside the control room while the door was open?”

“Uh, no sir. How would someone inside get back out after the door closed?”

“I don’t know, lieutenant! I don’t care! Maybe there’s a door handle inside!”

“I don’t think so, sir.”

“Lieutenant, we’ve had this craft in our hangar for sixty years… give or take a few years… and no one, ever, has been able to find so much as a seam or a rivet anywhere on the craft. We can’t dismantle it. No one has ever been able to get into the control room. No torch or blaster will melt or penetrate the metal… or whatever the hell it is the thing’s made of. It has frustrated every effort we have made to open the control room or dismantle the ship for SIXTY DAMN YEARS! And that woman just goes in and, open-sesame! The door opens for her?”

“It seems that way, sir.”

“Find out why! I want someone watching that woman twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. I don’t want her to go to the bathroom without someone knowing where she is. You got that?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Good. I’m surprised she didn’t ask you idiots if there was a key and fly the thing away under your noses! Get out of here. Oh, and lieutenant…”

“Sir?”

“Find out who makes these tiny spycams. I need some. And find out why I wasn’t advised of their development. I don’t like having local TV networks using equipment that I didn’t even know existed.”

“Yes, sir!”

The General put the tiny monitor into a desk drawer and closed the drawer. With no light or sound reaching it any more, the little camera cut itself off. The supervisor and Dak both knew that it could come back on at any time, though, if the General should decide to take it out of his drawer again at some future time.

“Dak, I think Zan and Rath need to see this. I’m going to take it to them right now. Continue monitoring the transmissions in case the pompous Eluymerian general takes our monitoring device back out of his drawer.”

“Yes, sir.”



**********


At the palace, Max and Liz huddled in front of the VidScreen with Alex and Isabel, as the supervisor from the spaceport watched from behind them. Max turned the VidScreen off and removed the small crystal, then he handed it to the supervisor.

“You were right, Kesvyn. This is important.”

“I thought you would want to know about it immediately, Zan. The fact that an Antarian craft… and possibly Antarian crewmen… are being held by Eluymerian soldiers… Then there is also the danger to the young woman, though it would seem that she was able to talk her way out of being executed… for now at least. Dak and I were thinking that this young woman looks very much like Varec’s wife.”

Max nodded. “It is Varec’s wife, Kesvyn.”

“But I saw her with Varec only yesterday, Zan. They were on their way to the CrashDown.”

“The young woman in the transmission is Amy DeLuca,” Max said. “But not the Amy we know here on Antar. I’m not entirely sure what is going on, Kesvyn. We may be receiving transmissions from the past…”

“Or from another dimension…” Alex offered.

Max nodded. “We don’t have any experience with dimensional theory or travel. We’ve never proven that alternate dimensions even exist… or that they don’t exist, of course. But we have had experience with traveling to the past.”

“If this was from a past timeline,” Alex said, “Amy would remember this happening to her… and she would have mentioned it, don’t you think?”

Max nodded. “It would seem so, Alex. “What is the difference between a timeline and a dimension anyway?”

“A timeline is a branch or alteration of the existing past,” Liz said. “It can change, depending on the factors that affect and shape it. But only one timeline can exist at a time. Once a part of a timeline is changed, the entire timeline is changed. It’s like going back and killing your grandfather… You would never be born, and the entire timeline would be changed. On the other hand, theoretically, at least, there could be any number of dimensions all existing at the same time, and each dimension could have its own progression of events. Dimensions wouldn’t have to be the same. In an alternate dimension, for instance, your dupes from New York might be living here on Antar now, and the Antarian scientists might not have ever created another set… so you might not exist. Or Kivar might still control Antar. There could be any number of possibilities. Max and Tess could be married…”

Max threw a pillow playfully at Liz. “Some things were meant to be, Liz, and some things never were. I don’t see that happening in any dimension!”

“Wasn’t Zan married to Ava in the past that Michael went back to,” Liz asked. “You know, the older Zan and Ava? Michael said they were quite happy together.”

“Yeah, they were,” Max agreed. “But they were an extension of the past… In that timeline, we were never killed, so we never went to Earth and never met you and Maria… The older me and Rath and Ava were kind of like… us before there was us, you know… or us if there never was an us.”

“That’s true.”

“Believe me, Liz,” Max said. “There’s only one girl for me in any dimension.”

“That remains to be seen, Max. But I like it that you think so.” Liz leaned over and kissed Max, which to Max’s embarrassment, seemed to have the approval of everyone in the room, judging by the smiles and applause, especially from Alex.

“Just wait, Alex. I’ll catch you and Isabel all wrapped up together sometime. Payback is coming.”

Isabel looked at Alex and grinned.

“Uh, moving right along here,” Alex said…

“Well, the question, as I see it,” Max said… “is what are we going to do with this information? And there’s something else that may possibly be involved here. I don’t know if it’s related, but Maya has had dreams… or perhaps visions… recently of something unexplainable going on. Maya saw Liz in a wheelchair, and she said that she thought her mother looked younger… like a teenager. She said that she saw someone shoot Liz from a tree, but then Jim Valenti chopped the tree down, and when she looked again, Liz was not shot. Then a couple of days later, Maya saw me in a coffin, and she said I looked younger, too.”

“It could be related, Max,” Liz agreed. “You and I were younger in Maya’s visions, and Amy is younger in this transmission…”

“But the transmission was sent today,” Kesvyn said.

“Yeah, Alex nodded, “but if we’re picking up some kind of vibes from, like, an alternate dimension or something, maybe we’re all still younger there… like Liz said… We wouldn’t have to be the same.”

“That could be,” Max agreed. “But then the thought occurs to me that maybe it might be wrong for us to interfere at all in another dimension’s… progression… or whatever. You know what I mean?”

“What?” Isabel said… “You mean if Liz was going to be killed, you wouldn’t want to save her, Max?”

“No, I didn’t say that, Iz. I’d want to… You know that. I just don’t know if I should.”

“But would you?” Isabel asked.

Max looked at Liz and sighed. “Yeah, I guess I’d have to defend Liz in any dimension. I just couldn’t not protect her, you know?”

“But maybe I’m supposed to die in that other dimension, Max,” Liz said. “Then you would be changing what was supposed to be.”

“Well, that’s assuming you subscribe to the theory that something is ‘supposed’ to go a certain way,” Max said. “What if it’s all random… just what we make it? If I saw you about to be harmed here, Liz, I’d protect you. What’s the difference? If it’s right for me to intervene in this dimension can it be wrong somewhere else? If I wasn’t around and something was going to happen to you and someone from another dimension saved you, I’d be thankful! I wouldn’t question what was supposed to be, because I don’t believe in destiny.”

“Like us being together?” Liz asked.

“Well, sure, that’s… I believe in that,” Max said. But that’s a destiny that I made… that we made… together. It didn’t just happen without our help. We had to put something into it.”

“That’s true,” Liz said. “Future Max tried to change our destiny once.”

“And he screwed it up for all of us,” Alex reminded Liz… until Max and Michael fixed it.”

“But he did it,” Max said. “And we did it again… by changing it back. ’Meant to be’ and ’Destiny’ are real… but they’re what we make them. If something works out well, we say that it was meant to be. If it works out badly, we say that it wasn’t meant to be. It refers to the ‘rightness’ of something. But that doesn’t make things happen. Only we can affect our destinies.

Max looked up to see Kyle standing there.

“Max, you’ve got visitors.”

“Who is it, Kyle?”

“I think you’d better see for yourself.”

Kyle turned and motioned to someone to come in. Michael and Maria walked through the door… and there were two other people with them.

Max, Liz, Alex, Isabel, and the spaceport supervisor, Kesvyn, all stood up as the guests entered. Their mouths were open far enough that they could have been shouting, but no words seemed to come out.

“Alex Whitman and Liz… uh… Evans…” Kyle said with a wry grin, obviously loving their reactions… “I want you to meet Alex Whitman and Liz Parker.”



tbc

Coming Next: Max and Liz’s “guests,” Alex and Liz, are overwhelmed by the palace and Antar and unsure what has happened to them. Max and the others realize that there no longer is a moral argument or question about helping them. The questions now become merely when and how… and what to do with… well, another Alex and Liz.

The Four Faces of Rath Guest Chapter
For The Night The Dreams Died



Alex And Liz In Wonderland

Chapter 9

IX



Max, Liz, Alex, Isabel, and Spaceport Director, Kesvyn had been watching the transmissions received from the lost Antarian space ship and discussing dimensional theories when Kyle walked in with a broad smile on his face. Max knew instantly that whatever Kyle had to tell them, it was probably going to be interesting, but even he could not have guessed what Kyle was grinning about.

“You’ve got visitors, Max.”

“Who is it, Kyle?”

“I think you’d better see for yourself.”

Kyle turned and motioned to someone to come in, and Michael and Maria walked through the door followed by two other people.

Max stood up, and his mouth opened, but he found himself momentarily at a loss for words. He looked at Liz, who was standing beside him… then at Alex. If Max appeared to be shocked, though, Liz and Alex’s reactions were of stunned disbelief.

“Alex Whitman and Liz… uh… Evans…” Kyle said with a wry grin, obviously loving the reactions the new arrivals had elicited from his friends… “I want you to meet Alex Whitman and Liz Parker.”

For several moments, there was only silence. The younger Liz and Alex stared in awe at the walls, the ceilings, the floors, and the decorations of the palace… then they looked at the two people standing in front of them. These people appeared to be a few years older… but there was no doubting who they were.

“Oh… Oh! I’m so sorry,” Liz Evans said, suddenly realizing that someone needed to say something. “I uh, I guess we must all seem like idiots standing here with our mouths hanging open. It’s just that… that…”

“Hello,” Liz Parker said, extending her hand politely and swallowing. Liz Evans took Liz Parker’s hand and shook it… and both smiled.

“Something tells me we’ve got a very interesting evening ahead of us,” Liz Evans said. “Why don’t you two have a seat and make yourselves… at home. We aren’t usually so unsocial. We’re just all kind of in shock right now.”

Liz Parker nodded. “Yeah, I’m right in there with you. Are you… Are you…?”

Liz Evans nodded. “Yeah… I guess I’m you. It looks like it anyway… And I presume you would be Alex Whitman,” she said, extending her hand to the younger Alex.

Still at a loss for words, Alex nodded and took her hand.

“I guess this is your, uh… doppelganger, or something,” Liz Evans said, indicating the older Alex. “This is his wife, Isabel… and this is my husband, Max… or King Zan, as he insists I call him.”

Alex looked at Max in surprise.

“She’s kidding,” Max said.

Liz giggled. “Well, he is the king… but since I’m married to him, he usually lets me just call him ‘Your Majesty,’” she said, giving the younger couple a wink.

Realizing that she was trying to break the ice and make them feel more at ease, the younger Alex and Liz seemed to relax a bit, and they smiled.

“Should I… uh… call you… King Zan or Your Majesty,” Alex asked hesitantly.

“Yeah, those will do,” Max said with a trace of a smile. Liz slapped him playfully on the arm.

“You can call him Max… and you can call me Liz. That’s Isabel and Alex over there, as I said before… and this is Kesvyn. Kesvyn’s the Director of the Spaceport… and our friend. It appears that you’ve already met Michael and Maria.

“Hi,” the younger Alex said, raising his hand. Liz Parker smiled and added a “Hi” of her own.

“Sit down,” Max said, pointing at a sofa. “That’s a royal order.”

Liz and Alex sat down together on the sofa.

“I guess the first thing we… the first thing I need to know,” Max said “…is how you got here. The second thing would be where you came from?”

“We’re not sure,” Alex said sincerely. “Liz had these orbs, and we wanted to contact Maria, because she’s been missing, and instead of contacting Maria, we wound up here.”

“Well, actually, we did find Maria,” Liz corrected, gesturing toward Michael and Maria. “We were transported to a beach where Maria was… only it wasn’t our Maria. I mean, it is Maria but… you know…”

Max and Liz Evans both nodded. “The orbs seem to have powers that we still have not discovered,” Max said. “We know they can be used for communication… and in some cases, for healing. And now, it appears that you were able to transport yourselves here to Antar with them.”

“Antar…” Alex repeated, incredulous. Hearing it still made him shake his head in disbelief. “How did we get all the way across the galaxy to some planet with an ocean that looks like… lite beer? And what are you doing here, Max?”

“I live here,” Max said. “It’s my planet.”

“Well, yeah, I know that,” Alex said. “But when we left Earth, you were missing…”

“Wait, you said that Maria was missing,” Liz said.

Alex nodded. “Well, you see, Maria, Michael, Isabel, and Max were shot by these Army sharpshooters. Liz was, too. The Army claimed the sharpshooters were drunk and acting on their own, but we never believed it.”

“When did this happen,” Liz Evans asked.

“At graduation,” Liz Parker said.

Liz Evans put her hand over her mouth and gasped, remembering her own premonitions and the close call she and the others had had at their own graduation.

“And the others… Are they…?”

“Supposedly dead,” Liz Parker answered.

“They were dead,” Alex insisted. “I was there. I saw them. Well, Isabel and Maria were dead anyway. Michael and Max escaped on Michael’s bike. They were shot as they escaped and were found dead at the edge of town where the bike crashed.”

“Found by the Army or FBI, I assume,” the older Alex said.

The younger Alex nodded. “There were funerals for all of them, but just the other day, Sheriff Valenti opened the graves and found out that the bodies in the coffins were dummies… made out of latex and paraffin. And Liz had a vision of Maria trying to contact her.”

“Maria?” Liz repeated, surprised, looking at Maria and Michael. Michael shrugged.

“Well,” the younger Liz said, “Maria did say something about Isabel needing to help her.”

“Why didn’t Isabel do it herself,” Liz Evans asked. “Isabel could have dreamwalked you.”

“I don’t know,” Liz Parker replied.

“I must have been injured,” Isabel said, placing herself in the place of the younger Isabel. “I’m sure that I would have dreamwalked you if I had been able to and if Maria needed help. Do you know where they were when she tried to contact you?”

Liz Parker shook her head. “I think they’re on the Army base somewhere.”

Max paled visibly. “I hope not,” he said, remembering his own experiences in the White Room.

“Alex said you were shot, too, Liz,” Isabel said. “I take it, you weren’t seriously hurt?”

“She was shot in the head and spine,” Alex answered for her. “Liz was in a coma for over four months. No one knew if she would survive. Since she came out of the coma, she’s been paralyzed.”

“Omigod! The visions Maya’s been having!” Liz Evans exclaimed. “Maya saw a young woman who looked like me in a wheelchair, and she thought she was in some kind of danger. She said that a man in a tree wanted to shoot her, but Jim Valenti cut the tree down and chased the bad man off.”

“Yeah! That really happened!” Liz Parker said. “I knew Sheriff Valenti had that chainsaw in his hand for a reason! He said that he confiscated it from some illegal loggers in the park. He’s been protecting me. He won’t say so, but I know it.”

Liz suddenly realized that, for someone who was supposedly paralyzed, she looked the picture of good health.

“Oh! Yeah, I know… I’m standing up… I really was in a wheelchair, though. I don’t know what happened. When Alex and I used the orbs and we appeared here, I wasn’t paralyzed anymore. Do you think the orbs could have healed me?”

Max nodded then slowly shook his head. “The orbs probably didn’t heal you. They teleported your essence here and reassembled you the way your DNA says that you are supposed to be assembled.”

“So… if I go back… I’ll still be paralyzed?”

“Maybe,” Max said. “Or maybe not.”

“You could heal her, Max,” Maria said.

Max nodded. “If there was anything wrong with her, I could… but there’s nothing wrong with her now. The orbs reassembled her perfectly. The question is, when she goes back, will she be reassembled according to her DNA plan or the way the orbs found her? And why didn’t the orbs reassemble her the way they found her when they brought her here? There’s a lot that we don’t know about the orbs.”

“You could check her out, Max,” the older Alex said. “Maybe you could tell something.”

Max stood up and walked over to Liz then placed his hands on her back. As he stood there, the others noticed that his face showed surprise at first, then concern. Max felt Liz’s arms then picked her wrist up and checked for the pulse. Then he picked up Alex’s wrist and checked for his pulse. Finally, Max sat back down.

“You gonna tell us what that was all about, Max?” the older Alex asked.

“What do you mean,” Max said.

“I mean that look on your face. Something wasn’t what you were expecting. Even I could see that.”

“I don’t know,” Max said, shaking his head. “I’m not a doctor or a scientist. I’m probably not qualified to speculate.”

“You’re all we’ve got, Max,” Isabel said. “Varec’s not here. Speculate!”

“What is it?” the younger Liz asked.

Max sighed. “You don’t have a pulse or a heartbeat… Neither of you do.”

Alex picked up his left hand with his right hand and felt for a pulse, then he tried to feel the pulse in the carotid artery in his neck. “There’s gotta be a pulse, Max. We wouldn’t be alive if there was no pulse. You can’t live with no heartbeat… Can you?”

“Not that I know of,” Max said.

Not finding his own pulse, Alex felt Liz’s wrist. Then he looked at Max. “Oh, sh*t! I think we’re dead!”

“You’re not dead,” Max said. “I don’t understand what’s going on, but I can vouch that you’re definitely alive… heartbeat or not.”

“How can they not have a heartbeat and still be alive,” Isabel asked. “Maybe you just couldn’t feel it, Max.”

“No, No… Wait…” Michael said, thinking. “Suppose they aren’t really here.”

“Of course they’re here,” Isabel said. “You see them. I see them. They’re sitting right there on the sofa.” Isabel touched the younger Alex and Liz on the arm and face. “They’re here,” Michael. You can’t feel a ghost. I can feel Liz and Alex. They’re as real as you and me!”

“Maybe not,” Michael said. “Well, yes and no, actually. Suppose that the orbs reassembled a duplicate set… a copy… of them here, but the original set is still on Earth.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Isabel said. “You don’t make copies of people. Human minds can barely think for one body. I don’t mean that as an insult, but humans don’t even have special powers… Their minds certainly aren’t developed enough to control two bodies at once.”

“Maybe they don’t have to,” Michael said. “Suppose their real bodies back on Earth are, like, in a coma or something, but their minds are here… sort of taking a vacation… in these other bodies.”

“Michael, you need help.” Isabel said.

“Don’t mind Michael,” she said to the younger Alex, adding with a tone of sarcasm, “He’s just swallowed too much of our ‘Lite Beer’ Sea lately! I thought it looked like the beach was getting bigger!”

“No, No, Isabel,” Max said. “It makes sense really. Think about it. The orbs could transport a DNA pattern and a memory core much more easily and efficiently than they could two whole human bodies. Michael may just have something there.”

“Uh, guys,” the younger Alex interrupted. “I hate to just butt in here, but since we’re talking about Liz and me, could somebody tell us what this all means?”

“I wish I could, Alex,” Max said. “If Michael is right, though… and we really aren’t certain about that… It’s only a theory… then your real bodies could still be on Earth, probably lying comatose where you left them, waiting for your return.”

“Yeah,” Michael said… “So enjoy these while you have them, ‘cause they may be disposables. They may just be on loan for your holiday, so use ‘em and abuse ‘em. Have some fun!”

“Michael!” Isabel exclaimed.

“Just kidding, Iz! Don’t get in a frit!”

“Talk about tiny minds,” Isabel fumed.

“Okay, I get it,” the younger Alex said, “but wouldn’t I still have to have a heartbeat… and be breathing,” he added, holding his hand under his nose.

“I would have thought so,” Max said. “But it’s possible that your bodies back on Earth are breathing and beating for you, and these bodies are… are… well, I hate to use Michael’s term, but… disposables… You know, just temporary for the time you’re here.”

“So… what happens if we’re still here when the expiration date… or the warranty… runs out?” Alex asked.

Isabel shook her head. “You see! You see what you guys did?”

“Well, it’s a reasonable question, Iz,” Michael said.

“Oh!” Isabel huffed, waving her hand. “Alex, if the orbs brought you… that is, your essences or whatever… here and created some kind of temporary bodies for them… I’m sure that when these bodies… when they… when they… you know…”

“Say it, Isabel,” Michael said, with an ‘I-told-you-so’ grin. “Say ‘expire.’”

“I was going to say, when they are no longer needed…” Isabel said. “You will be returned to your regular bodies on Earth.”

“Maybe you’re all being concerned needlessly,” Max said to Michael and Isabel as well as to the younger Alex and Liz. “I think it’s likely that the bodies you have now will last as long as they’re needed… however long that may be. The orbs aren’t limited by our conceptions or limitations. These bodies could have unlimited life spans… at least they may last as long as your real bodies on Earth still survive to support them.”

“That makes sense,” Michael said. Isabel nodded.

“These bodies have fewer moving parts,” Michael said, “so maybe they won’t wear out as fast.”

“Michael!” Isabel exclaimed, glaring at him again.

“What?”

“Okay, Liz Evans said. “If that’s out of the way, can we move on to something else here? Liz… Oh, Wow! It’s hard to address myself by my own name! I feel like I’m looking in a mirror talking to myself and somebody needs to lock me up!”

Everyone laughed.

Liz tried again. “Liz… Maya said that she saw Max in one of her visions, and he was in a box… a coffin, I think, and he fell out. Do you know what that was about?”

Liz Parker nodded. “When Sheriff Valenti wanted to open the coffins and he already had Max’s dug up, Judge Lewis showed up and blocked him with a cease and desist order, but Kyle pulled on the ropes holding the coffin up, and the coffin fell and broke open. That’s when the fake body rolled out.”

“That must be what Maya saw,” Liz Evans said.

“I had visions, too, Liz Parker said. “I saw your Golden Sea… Oh, and Alex, it’s salt water, not lite beer.”

“Damn, now you tell me… after I came all the way across the galaxy to get here!”

Everyone laughed again.

“And I know the names of all your children,” Liz Parker said.

Liz Evans seemed shocked by this information. “You know their names?”

Liz Parker nodded. “I thought I was seeing my own future or something and they were my children. I felt like I was right here sometimes.”

“You must have been seeing through Maya,” Liz Evans said. “Her ability to see and communicate across the universe sometimes seems to leave her open to a sort of back flow of information. Some of the Antarians Too said that they had had occasional brief flashes of Antar, too.”

“After we found out that the body in Max’s grave was a fake… and that the others were all fakes too…” Liz Parker said, “we started wondering where the real bodies were. We’re pretty sure they were taken to the Army base. I had a flash of Max calling me when I touched his ring. And later I had the vision of Maria asking for our help… so I believe that all of them could still be alive. But I think they’re in danger, and one or more of them may possibly be badly hurt. I haven’t been able to make a move without Judge Lewis showing up and trying to stop me or convince me that I should leave Roswell or that I should allow myself to be committed to an insane asylum he wants to send me to somewhere in Arizona.”

“Judge Lewis,” the older Alex mumbled. “A real friend he turned out to be!”

Kyle, standing beside Alex, nodded. “I seem to remember saying those exact words to Dad once… exactly! When Judge Lewis had Dad fired.”

“So is anyone looking for Max and Maria… and Michael and Isabel…” Liz Evans asked.

“The Sheriff has been helping all he could. And I think Amy went to the base to try to find Maria herself. When we left, she still hadn’t come back.”

Max winced. “I hope that’s not because of what my worst fears are suggesting. I know Amy. She won’t give up. They’ll have to shoot her to stop her… and they will.”

“Mom would give them a fight,” Maria said. “She wouldn’t go down easy. She may not look formidable, but you have to know Mom. She probably could take on that whole base by herself… if the right incentive was there.”

“To find you?” Isabel asked.

Maria nodded. “Yeah… to find me. I hope she’s okay.”

“I’m sure she is,” Michael said soothingly. “We probably should be worrying more about the poor soldiers she meets up with.”

Maria laughed and nodded, but deep inside, she was worried about Amy, even knowing that this Amy was not the mother that she knew here on Antar… and that if anything happened to this Amy it would not affect her mother here in any way.

“Do you have saber tooth tigers here,” Liz Parker asked out of the blue.

Liz Evans laughed. “You saw Jim’s pawgor? That must have given you a pause!”

Liz Parker smiled. “I saw a saber tooth tiger playing with a little boy.”

“That would be Danyy,” Liz Evans said. “Danyy is Jim and Kathleen’s son. He can talk to animals.”

“Jim and Kathleen?” Liz Parker asked.

Liz Evans nodded. “Kathleen Topolsky.”

Liz Parker looked shocked. “Topolsky? Here? She’s working against us! Topolsky is FBI!”

“She was,” Liz Evans said. “She’s not anymore… ours isn’t anyway. Kathleen was betrayed by her own people and locked up and tortured for a long time after she tried to help us. They made up a story that she had been killed in a fire at an insane asylum…”

“Like Judge Lewis wants to put me in,” Liz Parker said.

Liz Evans shuddered involuntarily, wondering if it could be a coincidence. “Don’t let him do that,” she said to the younger Liz. “Fight it!”

Liz Parker nodded. “I always thought that the Sheriff would marry Amy DeLuca. They seemed to have a thing for each other.”

“Well, our Jim married Kathleen,” Isabel said. “And Amy married Varec, a young Antarian scientist. Both of them could not be happier. But if you’re from an alternate dimension, as we think you may be, then there’s no guarantee that things will happen the same way with your Jim and Amy. They could wind up marrying each other.”

Liz Parker smiled. “I have this feeling about that.”

A staff person came into the room and whispered to Liz Evans, and Liz nodded then stood up.

“Dinner is ready. If everyone would like to head for the dining room, we can continue this conversation there.” Turning to Max, she added, “After we eat, I’d like to take Liz to Kyyks and get her something to wear. We don’t know how long they may be here. Would you like to come, too, Alex?”

“Uh, well… yeah, sure, I guess.”

“Or I could take you out to Jim’s place to see his pawgor,” the older Alex said.

Alex brightened then looked at Liz Parker.

“No… that’s okay. I’ll stay with Liz. I probably should get another shirt and some pants so I don’t have to wear the same ones all the time. Maybe we can go see the paguar together later. We really need to get back to Earth as soon as possible, though… if we can figure out how to do that. The others still need us.”

The older Alex smiled understandingly. “It’s called a Pawgor,” he said, correcting his younger self’s pronunciation.

Max pulled out seats for Liz Parker and for his wife, and both sat down at the table.

“you’ve got to be twice the gentleman today, huh, Max,” Liz said with a smile. “It’s good for you.”

Max smiled but didn’t reply.

“This looks really good,” Alex said, looking longingly at the food on his plate and the bowls of other foods set out to choose from. “It smells good, too! For some reason, I’m really starved.”

“Me, too,” Liz agreed.

“Are your bodies made to eat,” Michael asked. “I mean, you don’t breathe or have a heartbeat. Can you… you know?”

Isabel’s head sank slowly down onto the table, and she covered her face with her hands and moaned.

Alex looked at the piece of yegg steak on his fork and slowly put it back down.

Liz seemed unsure what to do with her food. “Uh, can I be excused for a moment? I… I really need to… I think I forgot to wash my hands.”

“Right down the hall on the left,” Isabel said without raising her head. “You’ll see it.”

“Thanks,” Liz said, standing up and leaving the table.

“Michael,” Isabel mumbled under her breath, “If the end of this day arrives… and you’re still alive, it’ll be a frikkin’ miracle.”

“Well, it’s something they needed to know,” Michael said. “I wouldn’t want them to blow up like balloons and burst or something. I’d never forgive myself.”

“You need to worry more about me forgiving you, Michael. Your life in the immediate future depends on it… and right now… it’s not looking good. You’ve passed critical, you’re already on life support!”

Liz returned to the table and sat back down then looked at Alex and smiled.

“Is everything… alright,” Alex asked hesitantly.

Liz nodded and picked up her fork, taking a big bite of the grelliats on her plate. “Mmmmmm… This is soooo good!”

That was all Alex needed. He attacked the yegg steak, grelliats, and other foods on his plate like a starving man.

Isabel picked up her fork but seemed to hesitate as she decided whether it would look better sticking out of a grelliat or Michael’s back. She gave Michael a quick stare then stabbed the grelliat and put it in her mouth.

“Hey, it was better that they know now,” Michael said. “I’m only trying to look out for them.”



tbc

Coming up: Liz and Alex see the town and meet the others, and everyone tries to figure out how to get them back home again… and where to send them back to, dimensionally, since they seem to have come from an alternate dimension. They also discuss plans to assist them in finding and rescuing the others. Meanwhile, in The Night The Dreams Died, Jeff Parker discovers Liz and Alex unconscious together above the CrashDown, and Judge Lewis, learning of their condition, sees a light at the end of his tunnel, with a little intervention on his part.