BOOK 9 VERISIMILITUDE
(THE CONSPIRACY
EXPOSED)
|
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ PART 5 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ (Sunday, January 21st, 2001) (University of Las Cruces) Tess used her powers to conceal herself from the single student
she encountered on her way to Alex's dorm room. It was after two a.m. and most of the tenants in the
dormitory were asleep. That was
the reason Lonni had made the rule that no one left or entered Alex's room
except in the early hours of the morning. Tess let herself into Alex's room and quietly closed the door
behind her. "How is the
translation progressing?" she asked Lonni. Lonni shrugged, "Alex seems to be pleased with the
progress. He said something about
algorithms and probability."
She shrugged. "All I
know is that the computer still hasn't finished the decryption." "So when will it finish?" Tess asked. Lonni shook her head, "He doesn't know. He said it could be a week or six
months." "But he told us he would have a time estimate," Tess
pointed out. "Well he doesn't," Lonni said. "Believe me, I've tried to get a more accurate date
from him but he just doesn't know." "HeÕs supposed to go back to Roswell next week," Tess
protested. "What are we going
to do then?" "It's like I told you before," said Lonni. "Alex will set up the computer to
continue to work. He can put in a
program that lets him access the computer from his house. He will set up a laptop for us, with a
link to his computer and when the decryption is finally finished the computer
will e-mail us the results. Then,
just like we planned, you can tell Max you remember how to read the language
and it's time to go home." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ As Tess drove back to Roswell, she considered Lonni's plan. Lonni might not think that Isabel and
Michael were important, but Tess knew Khivar wanted Isabel back. She could remember pieces of the
conversation she'd had with Congresswoman Whitaker the night Whitaker had
kidnapped her. Whitaker had said
Khivar and Vilondra were lovers and the skins were definitely expecting Isabel
to return with them. Lonni probably wanted to claim Isabel's place at Khivar's side but
Tess suspected Khivar didn't want an imitation. He would want the real thing and Tess had to make sure
Isabel came with them. Tess wasn't sure about Michael however. The little she knew about him on Antar wasn't enough to make
a decision concerning his importance to Khivar but she decided she had better
bring him as well. But Michael was the least of her problems. He had always wanted to find his real
home and she was sure that he would jump at the opportunity to return. She just wasn't sure of what Max and
Isabel would do. If they were
given a choice, they might choose to stay. So as far as Tess could see, the only solution was not to
give them a choice. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ (Episode - To Serve & Protect) (Friday, January 26th, 2001) (Frazier Woods) The Ganderium Queen used the borrowed human body of Grant Sorensen
to pull the selected host through the woods in the body bag. She was glad she had gotten a strong
human because the human girl was heavy and her struggling made the journey even
more difficult. She pulled the syringe out of her pocket, knelt down beside the
body bag and quickly injected the host with another dose of the sedative. The burial would be easier if the host
was quiet. Dragging the now still human a few more minutes, the Queen finally
reached the hole she had prepared.
She unzipped the bag and rolled the limp girl out of the bag and into
the hole. Then she used her
connection with the hive, to signal the release of the Ganderium drones into
the water table to make their way to the host. She had chosen this spot because the underground water was close
to the surface and her Ganderium drones would have easy access to the host. It would take several days for enough of
the drones to reach the host and to build up the crystal concentration in the
host's blood, but if it was done too quickly it would kill her. The crystal concentration had to be
just right in the human's blood, or the Queen herself would not be able to
successfully infect her. The Queen put the box over the girl's head and carefully checked
the air supply before sealing the box and completely covering the girl with
soil. Then she scattered leaves
and twigs over the area to make it impossible to distinguish from the
surroundings, and with a final look around, she walked back the way she had
come. They had been forced to keep themselves hidden for so long while
building up their numbers and strength enough for her to be able to leave the
hive, the Queen thought to herself, but their patience would pay off in a
matter of days. Soon she would be
able to infect the host and then they would be able to spread themselves to every
living thing on the planet, insuring their survival. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Isabel laughed as she watched Kyle's dream end with him
transforming into an alien. Why
was it that people had the mental image of green, slimy aliens? Who was to say there weren't blue or
orange aliens? And why the slime? Suddenly Isabel was standing in a clearing in the woods and she
felt confused and frightened. She
could hear a girl screaming and looked around to find the source but all she
could see were trees and blinding flashes of light. She stumbled forward toward the trees that seemed to be
rushing around her, but stopped when a man came into her line of vision. At first she couldn't tell what was
happening but then her vision cleared and she stared in horror at what she was
witnessing. The man was dragging a
body bag but the struggling person inside was obviously still alive. Isabel jolted awake, "No!" she shouted before realizing
she was safe in her room. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ (Episode - To Serve & Protect) (Saturday, January 27th, 2001) (Crashdown Cafˇ) "It's not your home," Maria yelled after Sean as he
walked out the front door. "Did you know he was getting out?" Liz asked. "No way," said Maria. "I would have alerted the National Guard or
something." She gestured
toward the door, "Shouldn't he have a police escort or one of those ankle
bracelet tracker thingers." Liz laughed, "He isn't that bad." "Not that bad?" Maria asked. "You don't call him leading a group of hooligans to
break into our school and vandalize the whole place bad?" "Well," Liz started, "it is traditional for Goddard
High kids to break in to West Roswell and cover our school seal with their own
before the big game between the schools." "But Sean and his friends didn't just cover the seal, they
practically destroyed it," Maria pointed out," and a lot of other
stuff too, not to mention all the TVs and stuff they loaded into their
car." "Yeah," Liz agreed, "they definitely went too
far." She shrugged, "I
just mean it's not like he's a murderer or anything." "I'll get back to you on that," Maria said dryly. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ (Episode - To Serve & Protect) (Sunday, January 28th, 2001) Valenti closed his office door behind him, shutting Dan out. He handed the photo to Isabel. "Is this her?" Isabel looked at the girl
in the photograph. "The
hair's the right color. I think
so," she said consideringly.
She ran her fingers over the photo and quickly tried to connect with the
other girl but she didn't receive any images, which usually meant the person
was awake, or dead, Isabel thought with a shudder. "Are you sure?" Valenti asked. "I never saw her clearly," Isabel admitted. "But it's her," she said with
more conviction, not willing to let her uncertainty hamper the
investigation. "It has to
be." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ (MichaelÕs Apartment) Tess glanced at her watch as she knocked on Michael's door. It was just nine o'clock and she was
supposed to be headed to Las Cruces.
Alex was scheduled to return from 'Sweden' later today and she would
have to clean up his mind, but first she had to attend the emergency meeting
Max had called. Michael opened the door with barely a glance in her direction and
turned away from her without a word.
Max and Isabel were already there and Max started immediately after Tess
closed the door behind her. "We wanted you to know that Isabel has been having these
dreams, visions about a girl who has been kidnapped," Max said. Michael rubbed his eyes, "That's great. You get me up early on a Sunday to tell
us about dreams." "They're not just dreams, Michael," Isabel said. "They're real. There's a girl in trouble." "So why are you dreaming about her?" Michael asked,
suddenly interested. "You
never dreamed about anyone else before.
Is she an alien?" Isabel shrugged.
"I don't know who or what she is, but she needs help." "So how do we help her?" Tess asked. "I don't think there is anything we can do right now,"
Max said. "We told the
Sheriff everything we know and heÕs looking into it. We just wanted to let you know what was going on." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Tess smiled with satisfaction as she let herself out of Michael's
apartment. Max had been making
sure she was included in the group more and more. In the last few months they had become closer, he had
started to care about her and she felt it was only a matter of time until he
was hers. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Max and Isabel drove straight to the Sheriff's office with the new
information. And when then were in ValentiÕs office, Max took the initiative,
"Isabel had another dream and this time she saw who the kidnapper
was. It's Grant." "Sorenson?" Valenti asked with surprise. "I'm positive," Isabel said. Valenti sighed, "Alright, I'll take care of it." "You want us to help?" Max offered. Valenti didn't want to risk involving them, "Not this
time." Isabel waited until she and
Max had gotten back into the car before she asked the question that had been
worrying her, "Max, don't you think we should help Valenti? I mean we don't know why Grant is doing
this." "Exactly," Max said. "He might just be crazy or a serial killer and the
alien angle is just a coincidence." Isabel studied Max's face for a moment, "You don't really
believe that Max. There is
something alien going on and Grant is right in the middle of it. What if it isn't Grant's fault? What if heÕs being controlled by an
alien, like Brody? ThatÕs why we
should help," Isabel argued. "No, thatÕs why we should stay out of it," Max
said. "What if someone is
using him and this situation to draw us out." Max shook his head, "What Valenti told Michael is
true. If we get more involved in
this, the wrong people might start asking questions." Isabel sat silently and Max continued, "And I think we should
keep this to ourselves. We don't
want Michael running off and doing something stupid like confronting
Grant." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ (Roswell Airport) Tess pushed Alex down onto a bench as Lonni and Rath unloaded
Alex's belongings on the curb beside them. The flight Alex was scheduled to be on from Sweden was due
in about an hour and she still had to prepare him before his parents came to
pick him up. She sat next to him
and started a mind warp to change his memories of Las Cruces, to the itinerary
and pictures of Sweden that Lonni had provided. It would have been too hard to try and replace all of his memories
of the last few weeks, so she simply told him to substitute images of Sweden
for what he really remembered.
Whenever he thought of the dorm he would substitute images of the Olsen's
home. Whenever he thought of Rath
he would see the Olsen family and whenever he thought of Isabel or Lonni he
would see Leanna. She also gave
him Lonni's cell phone number and e-mail address for when he wanted to contact
his long-distance girlfriend. Then she flipped through the book of slides, shaking her head at
the huge number Rath had created.
He must have really gotten into it. With a weary sigh, Tess concentrated on putting the images
into Alex's memory and integrating them into the itinerary Lonni had put
together. She also placed some
basic Swedish vocabulary in his mind from the book provided. Tess had never liked Alex because she had seen him as one of the
reasons Isabel was reluctant to accept her destiny to be with Michael. She didn't like the way Alex followed
Isabel around and she considered him to be way too geeky. So while she was in his mind, she
replaced some of his goofiness with a new suave demeanor. She also gave him the knowledge on how
to be a little more cool around Isabel, to have some pride instead of being such
a lap-dog. When she was finished, Tess opened her eyes and sighed with
exhaustion. The amount of mind
warping she had been doing over the last month was catching up with her and she
was glad the hard part was finally over.
Alex would go back to his normal life, the computer would continue to
decode the book, and when it was finished, they could go home. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Dan entered Valenti's office and confronted him, "Judith
Foster is filing a grievance with the State Police Board. She wants a formal investigation into
your actions." Valenti looked at his old friend, "I wonder who put that idea
in her head?" "Lot of questions here, Jimbo," he said with a
drawl. "Time for you to start
thinking of some answers." "Talk to my lawyer," Valenti said. Dan was about to press the subject when the phone rang. He listened as Jim spoke into the
receiver but as the conversation continued, he became more suspicious. He waited until Jim put the phone
down. "Do deputies always
call you on your private line?" he asked sarcastically. "I'll talk to you in the morning," Valenti said
dismissively. "You know, your Daddy went down just like this," Dan
warned his old friend. "Got
some fool notion into his head, ignored the law and his friends, and ended up handing
over his badge." "Is that a threat?" Valenti asked. Dan nodded, 'If that phone
call was from those kids, consider it a warning." Watching out the window,
Dan waited until Jim had reached the parking lot, and then he ran to his
car. Jim was obviously up to
something stupid and he wanted to find out what it was. Maybe he could put a stop to it before
his old friend ruined his life any more. He pulled his car onto the road and followed the police cruiser at
a discrete distance, but Valenti accelerated quickly ahead, catching Dan by
surprise, and when he rounded the next corner, Valenti's cruiser was nowhere to
be seen. Dan had caught a few words of Jim's phone conversation and most of
it had not made any sense but two of the words stood out. Frazier Woods. Jim was going to Frazier Woods. Dan made a right and headed to the
highway. If he hurried, he would
catch Jim in the act. After a few minutes of driving, he slowed the car and pulled onto
the dirt track that led into Frazier Woods. The track was scarred with deep ruts and potholes, making
driving difficult, and he drove slowly, thoroughly searching each lay-by and
turn-off for any sign of Jim's cruiser. He had been searching for more than half and hour before he heard
the gunshot. Quickly turning his car, Dan headed back in the direction he had
come, and a second shot was fired.
He stopped his car in a lay-by when he heard a third shot and he drew
his gun and headed into the trees toward where the shots were coming from. He heard a fourth shot, obviously from a high-powered rifle, and
then several more shots just ahead.
He could see three people through the trees and came out behind
them. "Freeze." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ (Frazier Woods) As the ambulance with Laurie Dupree inside pulled away, Dan
approached Max and Isabel Evans, "Okay, you kids will ride back to the
Sheriff's station with Deputy Hansen." Max looked at Isabel quickly and then back to Dan, "We came
with Sheriff Valenti, he can take us home." Dan smiled, "Well the Sheriff has other things to do. Besides, we have a few questions about
this situation that need answering." Hansen opened the door of his squad car, "Right this way Ms.
Evans, Mr. Evans." Max looked to Valenti but the Sheriff indicated with a jut of his
chin that they should do what they were told. Max let Isabel enter the car first and then he climbed in with
her. Hansen shut the door behind
them and Max quickly whispered to Isabel, "We didn't have a chance to get
our story straight with Valenti. But
I heard him tell that Dan guy that we were with him. Dan said Valenti could get suspended for that. So if they ask us, we've got to tell
them Valenti didn't bring us out here." "So what do we tell them?" Isabel hissed. Max shrugged and thought for a moment, "We'll tell them we
were hiking in the woods and heard the girl screaming and called Valenti." "Okay," Isabel agreed, looking out the window at the
Sheriff. "I just hope
everything will be okay for Valenti." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ (Episode - We Are Family) (Sunday, January 28th, 2001) (The Evans House Š IsabelÕs Room) Isabel got out of bed, padded to the window and gazed out into the
dark sky. The questions at the
Sheriff's station had been endless and even though she was exhausted, she
couldn't sleep. There were too
many thoughts running through her head, too many questions. She had been wrong about the identity of the girl taken but the
kidnapping had happened just as she had seen it. Isabel had been almost relieved when Valenti had told them Melissa
Foster was okay because it meant that the other part of her vision could have
been wrong too. Again Isabel
envisioned Grant pulling the body bag with the struggling Laurie inside, but
quickly squeezed her eyes shut, trying to wipe away the image. The Grant she knew was gentle and funny and very serious about his
work, and she enjoyed spending time with him. It was possible, she told herself, that she her subconscious
had just superimposed Grant's face on the kidnapper because she had recently been
with him. It could have been part
of her dream, she thought. Maybe
Grant was completely innocent and she had been wrong about him like she had
been wrong about Melissa Foster. Isabel sank into a chair with a sigh. Valenti was investigating Grant because she had told him to,
but she desperately hoped the investigation cleared him. She didn't want to believe Grant was
capable of doing what she had seen.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ (Episode - We Are Family) (Monday, January 29th, 2001) (The Valenti House) Michael waited as Max knocked on the Sheriff's door. They had gotten a message to come to
his house as quickly as possible and Michael was afraid of what might be
waiting for them. Isabel opened the door and Max asked what they were both thinking,
"We got a message from Valenti.
What's going on?" "Laurie Dupree is here," Isabel said. Michael was somewhat surprised but relieved Laurie was okay and
followed Isabel as she led them to a closed door. Michael stood back as Isabel knocked, calling to the girl inside,
"Laurie? Laurie, you can come
out. It's okay. You remember Max. He was there that night. This is our friend Michael." Michael got a glimpse of the girl for the first time,
"Hey." Laurie's eyes quickly flicked between the members of the group and
suddenly she erupted into hysterics, "You stay away from me! You're dead! You're dead!"
She slammed the door and locked it. Michael didn't know if Laurie was an alien or not but she was
definitely crazy. She had
threatened to kill them and they were only trying to help her. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ (Episode - We Are Family) (Tuesday, January 30th, 2001) (West Roswell High School) (Eraser Room) Song Playing: Right Here Waiting by Richard Marx As Liz had watched the slides of Alex's trip, the night before,
she had become more and more sad.
Since Max had healed her, it seemed as if all of their lives had been
centered around the aliensÕ problems, either solving them or waiting for the
next one to occur. And it was not
that she blamed them, it was just the opposite. Liz considered helping them and keeping them safe more
important than anything else. But their problems were not only consuming her life, the problems
were consuming the aliensÕ lives to the exclusion of everything else. They were all sacrificing their lives
to this cause and it was just so unfair because there was so much to do and see
in the world and Liz was afraid they would be robbed of their opportunities,
their youth. The possibility had
bothered her so much that she had written a note to Max to meet her so she
could discuss it with him. The sound of the door opening drew her attention and she looked
over to see Max entering. "I got your note," Max said with concern. "What's wrong?" "Nothing," Liz assured him, but then thought better of
her answer. "No. No, um that's not true. I've just been thinking a lot lately,
and..." she trailed off and then started again. "Have you ever wanted to see Sweden?" "Sweden?" Max asked puzzled by the sudden change of
subject. Liz could see the confusion on his face, "I mean or
anywhere. Peru, Nigeria, New
Zealand." "Sure," Max
agreed, "but the closest I'm gonna get right now is the Granolith
chamber.Ó He studied her face, ŅWhy?" Liz sighed, "Watching Alex this week, I just realized that
it's our right to see the world, to live our dreams, live life." Max shook his head, "Liz, that can't happen." "Why?" Liz asked. "Because it doesn't work that way for us," he said
gently. "You know that."
Liz continued, "You and Isabel and Michael and Tess are, you
guys are getting cheated on a lot of things, and it's not fair. None of it is." Max remembered the things Liz had said to him in his room months
ago. She wanted to be safe and
being involved with them, with him, made her anything but safe. They had been involving her too much in
their problems and even though he wanted to keep her at his side, he loved her
too much to force her to stay. He took a deep breath, the words he was about to speak tearing him
apart inside. "Liz, you,
should get to see Sweden. We... I,
hold you back." Liz shook her head, "No, Max." "Kyle was right," Max said. Liz remembered Kyle's words to Max. You and your Martian friends move in, take over, and obliterate
any shred of normalcy. Our lives
are no longer ours, And Liz instantly denied them, "That's not true." "Everyone we touch gets hurt in some way or another,"
Max said. "Five years from
now, I don't want you to open your eyes and realize that, that you missed out. You're part of the group. You always will be. But you need to be allowed to," he
paused looking for the right word, "to grow." Max's words brought tears to her eyes and Liz pulled him into an
embrace. It was obvious he only
wanted the best for her and even though she knew he loved her and wanted her to
stay, he was letting her go. She
held him tight for a few moments and then whispered into his ear, "Why
can't you come with me?" Max held Liz to him in a desperate embrace. He loved her so much and he was
terrified of losing her but as much as he wanted to just leave it all behind
and go with her, he wouldn't. He
wasn't giving up on her or their relationship, just the opposite, he knew that
someday they would be together but right now it wasn't possible. Liz had shown him that sometimes you
had to sacrifice your wants for the greater good, and right now he needed to be
here. Liz already knew his answer
and the reasons behind it, but he said it aloud for both of them, "Because
I can't. But I'll be watching you,
Liz Parker, wherever you go. And
I'll be here when you get back." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ (Roswell City Council Chambers) Jim sat in the council room after everyone else had left. He still couldn't believe they had
fired him but even though he was sorry to lose his job, he felt it was worth it
because they had rescued Laurie. The sound of the door opening drew his attention and he looked up
as Dan reentered the room. His old
friend had testified against him but Jim wasn't angry, because he could imagine
how his actions appeared to others.
"Are you sure it's wise to be alone with me?" Jim joked. "You have to go back to Santa Fe
tomorrow and you might get tainted by association." "That's real funny Jimbo," Dan said sarcastically. "Just tell me one thing. Is whatever secret you're protecting
worth your job?" "I don't know what you mean," Jim said, automatically
denying Dan's accusation. Dan studied him for a moment and then shrugged, "Maybe you
don't. Maybe you are crazy just
like your old man, but whatever you think is going on has changed you, and I
don't know who you are anymore." Jim shook his head, "That's funny, I was just thinking that I
didn't know you anymore. There was
a time when we would have backed-up each other without question." "That's because I trusted you to do the right thing,"
Dan explained. "But
now..." he let his sentence trail off. Jim picked up where Dan stopped, "Now you don't." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ (The Evans House Š MaxÕs Room) Max studied the sample of the blue crystal under the
microscope. "I don't believe
this." "What?" Michael asked anxiously. "It looks like they're pulsating," Max said. "What does that mean, that they're alive?" Max shrugged, "I don't know what it means. I've never seen anything like it but
maybe we should check into Laurie's background to find out why she was
taken." Michael nodded, "Her chart in the hospital said she was in a
mental hospital. Maybe we should
start there." "Okay," Max agreed. "You and Isabel go and check it out and I'll see what I
can find out about these crystals." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ (Episode - We Are Family) (Friday, February 2nd, 2001) (Pinecrest Psychiatric Hospital) Isabel shivered as she looked around the room, "Can you
imagine being locked up in a place like this?" Michael didn't even have to think about his answer, "This
would suck big." "Okay, this just doesn't feel right," Isabel said. "Digging through the intimate
details of these people's lives." Michael ignored Isabel's comment and opened a file drawer and
quickly scanned through the files looking for Dupree. "Yes!" he cried and pulled the file out and opened
it but his elation turned to disappointment when he saw that it was empty,
"No." Isabel pushed her scruples aside and searched a pile of duffel
bags, quickly realizing what they were.
"Michael," she called to him, "they're full of personal
belongings." She found the
bag marked Dupree, opened it and pulled out a stack of photos. "Look, here. Look at this." She flipped through the old photos but
stopped when a familiar face caught her attention. "My God," she said, showing the photo to
Michael. "That looks just
like you!" "It is me."
Michael was dumbfounded as he stared at the photo that could have been
of himself. He had searched his
whole life for his real family and finally he had found them. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ (Episode - Disturbing Behavior) (Saturday, February 3rd, 2001) (The Evans House - Max's Room) The mass of Ganderium crystals acted more on instinct than with
actual thought. They had been
surrounded by potentially dangerous humans since their capture so they had
remained dormant. But when they found themselves in an open container with a single
sleeping human, they took the opportunity to sample his DNA for the defective
gene they needed to build their numbers.
They pushed their way out of the container and across the surface,
quickly covering the nearest appendage.
The human awoke before they had finished sampling the DNA so they
used their tactile strength to anchor his appendage until they had
finished. Joyously they discovered
the defective gene but almost immediately they discovered that the human
already had Ganderium crystals in his system. Immediately they released the human not wanting to risk harming
him or their Ganderium brothers within. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ (Episode - Disturbing Behavior) (Sunday, February 4th, 2001) (Roswell UFO Museum) (BrodyÕs Office) "I've been put under hypnosis before," Brody said. "It's never helped me remember
anything about my experiences." "This would be different," Isabel claimed, hoping to
convince him. "I have a
gift. I'm a little psychic." Brody wondered if she was joking and looked to Max and Liz to see
if they were laughing. "Come on." Liz picked up Isabel's story, "You believe in aliens, but you
don't believe in psychic phenomena?" "I was abducted by aliens," Brody explained. "I know they exist." "I know my gift exists," Isabel asserted. "Aren't you at least curious?" Max coaxed. "Okay," Brody agreed, "So what do we do?" Isabel released a tension-filled breath and quickly took charge
before he could change his mind.
"Okay. Relax. Close your eyes and clear your mind. Give me your hand. This won't hurt." She didn't know exactly what she should do to contact Larek or how
much power it would take, so as she reached for his hand, she built her power
to a tremendous level. Brody continued to speak even with his eyes shut, "I just
want to warn you, the last time I was put through this, I was a very difficult
subject. I just don't want you to
be too disappointed when..." Isabel barely touched Brody's hand but the reaction was
instantaneous. She felt her power
enter his body and immediately an answering surge of power burst from him. It was like two magnets of the same
polarity being forced together. She felt her power and the other react, and the resulting
force threw them across the room in opposite directions. Isabel felt herself hit the wall and then the floor, and stars
danced before her eyes for a moment before she could clear them. When she could focus, Max was on the
floor before her. "You shouldn't have done that," Brody said from across
the room. "Brody?" Max asked. "Larek," Brody's mouth answered. "This body has not been prepared
for communication. Its heart has
stopped." Isabel got up painfully, but she glad the plan had worked, and she
and Max went to Brody's side. Larek continued, "It may restart once I've released him. What is it you want?" "We need your help," Max started to explain. "We think that some form of a, a
parasite was released into our Earth's ecosystem when our ship crashed fifty
years ago. We think they're
dangerous..." Larek cut him off, not really having heard anything after Max said
a parasite had been released.
"When you say parasite, do you mean the Ganderium from your ship
have escaped into the ecosystem?" "I don't know," Max said. "It looks like blue crystals." Larek was horrified.
The Ganderium were safe as long as they remained under controlled
circumstances but if they had gotten loose, he didn't even want to think about
what they would do. "Earth is
in serious trouble," Larek said.
"You must leave now." "What are you talking about?" Max asked, not sure what
Larek meant. "Earth has become infected," Larek explained
quickly. He needed to leave the
body soon or he would kill the human.
"You're no longer safe there.
Get off the planet now." "Okay," Max said, trying to take in everything Larek had
said. Larek took Max's 'Okay' for agreement and he pulled his
consciousness out of the human to prevent further damage. Brody's body suddenly sagged and Max knew that Larek had released
him. "Wait, wait, wait!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ (The Antarian System) (Planet Talros) Larek placed the transverse thought projector aside. He didn't know that communication
through a human was even possible in the manner in which Max had just contacted
him. It had just been lucky that
he had been close to the thought projector to receive its signal. He had felt the call in his mind
somehow, probably because of his connection with the human, Brody, and rushed
to the thought projector for the power burst he needed for the communication. It was too bad the Ganderium had gotten loose on Earth. Eventually they would destroy
everything, and the planet would become unlivable until the Ganderium all died
out. It was also unfortunate that Max and the others would be forced to
leave. Larek didn't know if they
had an alternate plan and it would probably mean they would have to return to
Antar and face Khivar. Larek would
harbor them on Talros if he could, but his army was no match for Khivar's
mighty war-machine. Khivar could
simply send a fraction of his war ships... Larek let the thought trail off, as suddenly some of Max's words
came back to him. He had been so
focused on the Ganderium problem he hadn't realized what Max had been saying,
but now it came back to him with the full force of the meaning. Max had said their ship had crashed
fifty years before and that was what had allowed the Ganderium to escape. Max's ship had crashed.
Max hadn't said how bad the damage had been but only a hull breach would
have let the Ganderium escape. What if Max and the others didn't have a way off the planet? Larek
wondered. It would take four years for a ship to arrive from Antar, and Max
and the Earth didn't have that much time. The only chance Max and the Earth had, was to stop the Ganderium,
and with no memories of their past life, they would need all the help he could
give them. Larek reached for the
thought projector, passing his hand over the controls. He would have to work quickly to
prepare the human Brody in order to assist Max. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ (Episode - How the Other Half Live) (Monday, February 5th, 2001) Tess' hands shook as she dialed Lonni's number, Liz's answer to
her question echoing through her mind. Tess had been confused by Larek's warning and asked, And just
so I'm clear, when Larek said that Earth was infected, what exactly are we
talking here? You know, a couple
of acres? Couple of miles? Then Liz had given her chilling answer, I think he was speaking
a little more globally. Globally, Tess thought.
The whole world would become unlivable and they had to get off the
planet. "Come on, pick-up.
Pick-up," Tess chanted under her breath as she listened to Lonni's
phone ringing. Finally on the fourth ring, Lonni answered with an annoyed tone in
her voice, "Yeah." "It's Tess and we've got a big problem," she started,
and then quickly outlined what they had learned about the Ganderium threat. "Wait a minute," Lonni said. "Your telling me the whole Earth can become
contaminated just like that?" "That's what Larek told us would happen if we don't stop
it," Tess said, her voice raising hysterically. "We have to get off of this planet. We have to tell Nicholas what is
happening and give him the Granolith and he will take us home." "No!" Lonni
exclaimed. "I will not give
up my only piece of leverage that easily.
You said yourself that this girl, Laurie wasn't infected yet. That will give us a little more time to
get the translation and who knows, maybe in the mean time, my brother will save
the world. If it starts going bad
and the girl does become infected we can tell Nicholas then." "But Lonni..." Tess argued, only to be cut off. "You'll do as I say, Tess," Lonni said in a threatening
tone. "I've waited too long
for you to mess this up because you got freaked out." "So what should I do?" asked Tess helplessly. "You do whatever Max tells you to stop these things, that is
what you do," mocked Lonni, "and if anything happens, call me
immediately." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ (Dupree House - Basement) Laurie pulled a dress out of a box, "This is Grandma's. I never met her." "What was her name?" Michael asked, genuinely
interested. Laurie smiled, "Ada Jane. She's dead too." Michael was surprised that he was disappointed. He had just found his family but most
of them were dead. Unconsciously
he reached up to scratch his eyebrow but stopped when he saw Laurie looking at
his hand. "Can't fight who we are Michael," Laurie said. "You're Grandpa's legacy, and I'm
crazy." Michael took her by the shoulders and forced her to look at
him. "You are not crazy," he asserted. "What happened to you was
real. I mean, you have a right to
live your life. Bobby and Meredith
have tried to take that away from you, but it's yours. Just like this house is yours. Now look, I'm not what you would call
an optimist, life sucks, people suck.
That's reality. But you're
special. You're a good person and
you deserve better than to be locked up in an institution because it's more
convenient for your aunt and uncle.
This is your
life, and this is your
house. Laurie was dumbfounded for a moment. No one had ever talked to her like Michael did. He actually believed in her. She turned to him with a smile. Michael smiled back, hoping that he had reached her. "So your Grandpa left you the
house because he didn't trust Bobby or Meredith but what about your
parents?" "I don't even remember them," Laurie said. "They died when I was little and I
was raised here by Grandpa." "Then this has been your home your whole life," Michael
said, "and you should start acting like it." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ (Frazier Woods) The Ganderium crystals reacted to the intrusion of their nest by
the two humans the only way they could, by sealing them inside and cutting off
their oxygen. The hive of crystals
worked cooperatively, the ones in contact with the surface oxygen passing it through
the shared surface to the ones inside, so they would not die. But they could cut off the oxygen to
the humans, it was their only defense. Then they simply had to wait until the intruders died. Then an attack started from the surface. More humans were attempting to enter the hive and the crystals
worked together to reinforce the outer shell, to prevent any more intruders
from invading. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ (Roswell, NM) The Ganderium Queen in side the borrowed human, Grant, had just
reached the outskirts of town, when she received the impression that the hive
was in danger. She immediately
turned the vehicle and headed it back toward Frazier Woods. It took her more than half-an-hour to arrive at the area where the
hive was located but when she reached the turn-off, the other cars present alerted
her to the fact that she wasn't alone.
She continued past the cars and parked behind some trees where she
wouldn't be observed by the humans present. She crept through the trees silently to observe the actions of the
humans. They were digging around
the hive, apparently attempting to get inside. Rage boiled up within her, knowing that the humans meant to
do harm to her drones, and she turned back to the truck to look for a weapon. Suddenly Grant came back to his senses. He was standing next to his truck and there were trees all
around. At first he didn't realize
where he was but he recognized the area almost immediately. He was in Frazier Woods. He didn't remember how he got there but he started toward his
truck. He had the compulsion to go
to Tucson and he didn't know why.
He didn't want to go to Tucson and he fought the urge, clapping his hand
to his head as the pain started. Suddenly he heard voices and crept through the trees until he
could see who it was. He was
surprised to see Isabel and Max and two other girls with shovels. They seemed to be having an intense
conversation and then suddenly Isabel headed for her car. He watched her for a moment before he made up his mind. There was something wrong with him and
Isabel was the only one he could think of to turn to for help. Grant sprinted back to his truck and put it in gear. He would follow Isabel and get her to
help him. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Isabel awoke to find herself in a strange car. Her head throbbed painfully but she
turned to see who was at her side, "Grant?" Grant was grateful she was finally awake. He had not wanted to take Isabel but it
was the only thing he could do to stop the compulsion to kill her. "I'm not doing so good
Isabel. That Agent, from the
FBI..." he trailed off. "Agent Duff?" Isabel prompted. Isabel trying to help him made him angry. It was as if she thought he didn't
remember. "Yeah, I know her
name, okay? I know things! She said I went to Wyoming. She asked if I stole a gun there. I don't remember!" he yelled. "When I try to remember, it just
gets worse." He turned to
Isabel, "You're the only one I trust Isabel. You have to help me." Isabel didn't know what to do. Grant sounded crazy and he had kidnapped her. She looked around trying to get some
bearings but she didn't recognize the area. "Okay," she said in what she hoped was a soothing
tone. "Okay, I will. Just pull the car over and we'll get
you some fresh air." Grant ignored her, "Did I get shot? Huh?" "That was you," Isabel gasped.
In the last few days, she convinced herself that she had been mistaken
about Grant and he couldn't possibly have been involved but she couldn't deny
it any longer. Grant had been shot
by the Sheriff when the rescued Laurie.
He was the kidnapper. "When did I get these scratches on my neck?" Grant asked
and then answered his own question, "I don't know. Here's another one. Why am I driving to Tucson? I don't know!" he yelled. "Help me Isabel," he begged,
"Please." Isabel was practically in tears hearing Grant begging for help but
suddenly he seemed to forget she was there and his voice changed as he began to
chant. He seemed to be having some
kind of episode or a breakdown and Isabel spoke, trying to bring him out of
it. "When did this all start
happening?" Grant refocused on her, "Hard to say. Uh, I uh, have gaps in time. I think it was, when I started digging
out near Pohlman Ranch. Some time
last summer. Found these weird
crystals." "Oh my God," Isabel gasped, "Oh God, Larek said
there was a Queen." "What?" Grant asked, not understanding what she was
saying. "Oh God," Isabel started, trying to explain it to him,
"Look Grant, you're going to be alright. Your body has been, has been taken over by something." "What kind of, thing?" "It's hard to explain, but it must have happened when you
were digging," she broke off, her mind running on overload. Grant wasn't responsible for anything
he had done and she unknowingly spoke her thoughts aloud. "God, it was the Ganderium. They must have been in the water
tab..." Isabel seemed to know what was happening to him but Grant couldn't
understand what she meant and it made him even angrier. "I don't know what that means,
okay?" he shouted. "I'm
losing it here!" "Grant..." Isabel soothed. He continued as if she hadn't spoken, "Why is this happening
to me? I'm a good person." "I know," Isabel said. Grant was surprised by her answer, "Do you?" "Yes," she assured him. The compulsion to kill her was becoming unbearable but he tried to
fight against it. "I have to
kill you, but I don't wanna."
Suddenly an idea occurred to him, "There's a cell phone in my coat
pocket. Grab the phone
Isabel. Now!" "Okay, okay," she said as she took the phone. She desperately wanted to help him but
she didn't know what to do. He was
on his way to Tucson to get Laurie, and Isabel knew he had to be stopped but
she didn't know how to do it without hurting him. She tried to plead with him, "Grant." He was barely holding himself together and he knew it wouldn't
last too much longer. He stopped
the car on the side of the road. "Get out of the car." "No," Isabel said, trying to think of something she
could do to help. The compulsion to kill Isabel was overwhelming all of Grant's
other thoughts. "Get out of
the car!" he bellowed. Isabel was so worried about him, she was practically in tears, and
once again she tried to reach him, "I can't help you if you don't..."
Grant cut her off, "Please. Get out of the car." She reluctantly got out of the truck but turned back to him,
"I'm sorry. I'm so
sorry." She watched as Grant
drove away and when he was out of sight she quickly dialed the Sheriff to
inform him of what was happening. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ (The Dupree Mansion - Poolside) Carmen held out a tray with Maria's cell phone in front of
Michael, "This one is for you sir." "Thank you," said Michael as he reached for the
phone. "Hello?" "Michael, it's Max.
The crystals can't live without oxygen." "Okay," Michael said, wondering how that information
applied to him. "That's how we can stop it," Max explained. "Well, I got a news flash for you Maxwell," Michael
scoffed, "there are no crystals around here." "So Laurie's safe?" Max asked, attempting to bring
Michael around to the point of the call. "She's under my constant watch," Michael said, "I'm
not even sleeping. How are things
with you?" "Tired," Max sighed. "It's been a long couple of days." "Yeah, tell me about it," Michael sighed, not really
listening. "It's been raining pretty hard here," Max said. Carmen handed Michael the DVD player. "Thank you," he whispered. "Morale's a little low," Max continued. "Ah Max, I gotta take another patrol round the
perimeter," Michael said, impatient to get off the phone. "We'll talk later," Max said. "Okay," Michael said, ending the conversation. He absentmindedly pressed the button he
thought was end but accidentally pressed the call button and tossed the phone
onto the lounger. "Oh, Carmen," he called out. "Can I get some iced tea please?" Maria nodded and he indicated her too
as he added, "For the both of us?" Michael settled back into the lounger with a sigh of
contentment. This was definitely
the life. As the opening credits started on Braveheart, Michael missed the
blinking low-battery message on the cell phone and then the screen went
blank. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ When Isabel had gotten off the phone with the Sheriff, she had
dialed Maria's cell phone but she had only gotten a busy signal. Then she had tried Liz but her phone
had also been busy so Isabel had known Liz and Maria they were talking to one
another. Isabel waited a few minutes, hoping they had ended their call and
tried again. After one ring,
Maria's phone was answered and Isabel started to blurt out a warning, "Hey
you guys have gotta get..." but stopped as she heard the familiar voice on
the message. "The customer you are trying to reach is currently
unavailable. Please try your call
again later." "Damn," Isabel said, knowing what unavailable
meant. "Can't Maria ever
remember to charge her cell phone batteries?" Isabel didn't have the Dupree's number and dialed information, but
discovered they were unlisted.
Then she called Liz, but none of the group knew the Dupree's number
either. There was no way to warn
Michael that Grant was coming.
Isabel just hoped Valenti got there in time. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ As Jim drove to the Sheriff's station, he considered what to tell
Agent Duff. If he tried to tell
her too much she wouldn't believe him, but he couldn't just let her walk into
the situation completely unprepared.
He glanced at his watch.
Isabel said they had a couple of hours. If they could get to Tucson ahead of Grant, there was a
chance they could stop him. Jim
decided he would tell Duff anything to get her there and then he would worry
about explanations later. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ (Dupree Mansion Š Basement) Michael reached the bottom step just as the jellyfish-like
creature emerged from Grant's chest and he hobbled to the door, "Everybody
out! Now! Now!" Valenti waited until everyone was out and he pulled the door shut.
"Okay," Maria said, "whatever you're gonna do, do
it quick. That thing looks
pissed!" Michael spotted the ventilation fan and instantly an idea came to
him. He raised his hand and used
his power to run the fan, quickly siphoning all of the air out of the
room. Then he closed the vent and
they watched as the Ganderium Queen started to throw herself into the walls,
seeking an escape. "What did you do?" Jim asked Michael. Michael shrugged, "Max said they need oxygen to live. So I just sucked all the air out." The Queen's actions became more and more desperate as she consumed
the last of the oxygen. In a
desperate last attempt to escape she threw herself against the small window in
the door, but the force of the impact ruptured her thin outer membrane and she
died instantly. "Simple," Michael said, enormously proud of himself for
saving the world. "So it's, it's over?" Laurie asked, almost afraid to
hear the answer. Jim sighed, "Guess that depends on what happens to the rest
of the crystals." Michael looked at Agent Duff for the first time. He hadn't had time to consider that he
was using his powers in front of her, his only thought was to stop the
Ganderium Queen. He watched silently as she turned to go back upstairs and caught
the Sheriff's attention. Michael
motioned to Agent Duff with a jut of his chin and directed his question to Jim,
"What about..." Jim nodded, "I'll take care of it." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "So looks like I have two options," Agent Duff
started. "Tell the truth
about everything I've seen, or write a false report and commit a felony." "Not very attractive options," Jim agreed. "I know," she sighed. "I always took a very legal approach to my job," Jim
explained. "If I couldn't put
it in a report, or swear to it in a court of law, in my mind, it never
happened." "Just walk away?" she asked. Jim nodded, "That would be my advice. Sometimes it's better just to walk away
with your victories." "And what about the body downstairs with the blue crystals
sticking out of its chest?" she asked. "What do we tell people happened to him?" Jim remained silent and took a slow sip of his drink. Agent Duff nodded, "We don't tell them anything because there
will be no body." She looked
at Jim intently, "Have you had to do this kind of thing before? And what about Michael? What was that he did in the
basement?" Jim studied the liquid in his glass, "Do you really want to
know?" She thought for a moment and then shook her head, "No, I
don't." Jim nodded once in agreement. "I guess officially Sorensen will just have to be the one
that got away," Duff said. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Isabel had been sitting next to Grant's body for only a few
minutes when the Ganderium crystals seemed to quiver and then suddenly they
melted, running down the sides of the cot and forming a blue puddle on the
floor. Isabel stood and brushed her hand over Grant's forehead. She still couldn't believe he was
dead. They had been together just
a couple of hours ago and even though she hadn't been able to help him, she
genuinely thought it would all work out.
Her eyes wandered down to the gaping wound in his chest. She knew that she didn't have the
strength to fix his ravaged flesh but she could at least partially repair the
damage. She passed her hand over
Grant's chest, closing his skin, fixing his torn clothing and cleaning him. Grant was a good person and it was the
least she could do for him. When she had arrived, the Sheriff had told her what had happened,
how Grant had sacrificed himself to stop the creature within him. Isabel wiped at a tear that ran down
her cheek. She wished she could
have found a way to help him, he deserved so much more than this. She knew they couldn't turn his body over to the authorities
because there would be too many questions. They would have to get rid of his body and no one would know
he had died a hero. Grant had told
her that he had no family living, so at least there would be no one to wonder
what happened to him but there would also be no one to mourn him, except
herself. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Kyle, Alex, Liz, Max and Tess had gotten together for an impromptu
celebration at the Crashdown that night, to celebrate saving the world. They had danced and eaten and toasted
one another with Cherry Coke until midnight, and Tess was almost giddy as she
climbed into her car to head home. She had worked as part of the group and they had all accepted her,
even Max. He had treated her like
a friend, he had listened to her opinions and he had especially invited her to
come to the Crashdown with them to celebrate. Max was letting her into his life more and more and she was
soon he would accept her into her proper place at his side. Tess smiled as she remembered the party. She and Liz had talked and laughed and danced, and Tess had
started to wonder if they might have been friends had they met under different
circumstances. Liz was nice and
now that she wasn't after Max, Tess thought maybe they could be friends. Tess' pleasant thoughts lasted until she remembered Lonni and then
all of her fantasies of the future evaporated. As soon as the translation was finished, she, Max and the
others would be leaving for Antar.
But, Tess reminded herself, she would have a future with Max, it just
wouldn't be on Earth. She pulled off the road and dialed Lonni's number. It was answered after one ring, "Yeah." "It's over," Tess said. "Everything is okay." "See, I told you it would work out," Lonni said. "Yeah," Tess agreed unenthusiastically. "So we are right back on schedule." "I just wish that stupid computer would hurry up," Tess
said. "Be patient a little longer," Lonni soothed, "and
we'll get everything we want." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Lonni ended the call with a roll of her eyes, "What a
scrub." Rath laughed, "Why don't we just get the location of the
Granolith and get rid of her? The
computer is working on the translation so we don't need her anymore." Lonni shook her head, "It's good to have someone close to
Max. You never know when she might
come across with information like this Ganderium thing." She shrugged, "Besides, Tess is
going to 'suddenly' remember how to read the book and tell Max how to use the
Granolith." Rath shook his head, "Tess gets on my nerves, just like
Ava." Lonni shrugged, "At least Tess has been a little more useful
than Ava. We should keep her
around until we get what we want.
We might need Tess to use her unique talents, but even if we don't, we
will have someone we can blame this whole thing on if it goes wrong." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ |
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