Death Is A Playground (UC/CC,ADULT) Ch 41 1/15/11 [WIP]

[darkmoon]

Saavik ~ I'm glad it was worth being woken up by a text!! I forget the time difference sometimes. LOL. Hope this is just as worth it!

Carrie ~ Sweetie, your eyes don't deceive you now. I has posted!!!! Sorry for taking two months.

Kara ~ First off, this part is longer. I swear. I checked how many words and all. Secondly, I explain some stuff. Cause for some reason, FLiz can't shut up around Michael. LOL. Also, you know it wouldn't be a good chapter if I didn't make you question everything you know!

B ~ I love you, 'nuf said. Thanks for betaing it!!! You rock my socks!


Chapter 40


Michael found that talking to Zan was easier than it had had been with Max. Michael liked that he listened, although it was unmistakable that Zan was not passively listening. The wheels in Zan’s head were turning with every new development Michael revealed. At the end, only after Michael had said his peace, did Zan finally talk.

“Lonnie’s plan appears to be operational. Whitaker is not only questioning herself, but the ones around her. Nicholas is seeing her more as a liability than an ally. These Rath followers, do we know when they should be arriving in town?” Zan stroked his chin in a thoughtful manner. A random thought of missing the long goatee floated through his thoughts, as his fingers rubbed against his stubble.

“I don’t even know if they really exist, or if it is some depraved way of Nicholas to feed us bad intel.” Michael shook his head. “Personally, I think we should ask the Futures if they know anything about the Rath Supporters. If anyone would have insight into this, it would be them.”

“I would prefer not to rely on their knowledge of things that could be. We shall not always have their assistance, but this time I must regress, that their combined knowledge on this subject would be essential. I ask that you go to them; I would not trust another with this task.” Zan nodded.

“Why?” Michael was taken aback. He was unused to being taken so seriously, or being relied upon.

“Michael, you heard the report. If I told Rath of your intel, he might miscommunicate it. I might misconstrue it. The only true way to be sure that the information you possess is correctly relayed to Queenie and Grandpa is if you deliver it yourself.” Zan explained, knowing that he had to make Michael understand that he was just as much his general as Rath was.

“I’ll call in sick to school then, but I’ll need to use your phone.” Michael felt a rush of pride. Not only was his information important and being taken seriously, but Zan didn’t want to chance a miscommunication between the information they had, and the information the Futures might possess.

“Please do.” Zan motioned to the phone next to the bed.

Michael quickly called into school, faking nausea and a stomachache. With a quick bow to his king, he was off to speak with Future Liz and Max.

The trip to the desert always seemed a long one. He thought about the few things Future Liz had told him. He had to admit, he was thankful for the reminder to be patient. She hadn’t spoken much to him about his future self, which in a lot of ways he was thankful. The less he knew about the mistakes he had made in the future the easier it was to not second guess his decisions. As he got closer to the Granolith, the question about Zanny reared its ugly head. How was Zanny able to communicate with him? Michael knew he had never had the same experience with the Granolith that the others had.

The questions nagged him as he drove into the desert. He was thankful when the cliff hiding the pods and the Granolith came into view. He groaned to himself when Kal’s expensive car came also into view next to the Yukon. Last thing he wanted was an audience.

He pulled off the helmet that he rarely wore. He didn’t want anyone pulling him over and questioning why he wasn’t in school. Quickest way to fix that, he realized, was using his helmet. Michael placed it on his bike, before heading up to talk. He waved to Future Liz who had walked out to see who had stopped.

Future Liz quickly walked down the path from the Pod Chamber to meet Michael. She knew he was supposed to be in school, and this deviation from normal spelled only trouble. “What’s going on?”

“We have new intel on the Skins, and Zan asked if you would give your input on some new information that has come to light.” Michael felt more like a foot solider then a general, but in the end, he knew this information was needed.

“Come into my parlor.” Future Liz motioned to the Pod Chamber.

“You know that story never ends well for one of the two parties.” Michael teased. He was nervous, he always was when he talked to Future Liz one on one. She had an insight into him that made him uneasy.

“Seeing that I’m the one inviting doesn’t worry me in the slightest.” Future Liz smiled, it was a strange smile that always seemed to confused Michael. It wasn’t an empty smile that he had seen all too often on the faces of people telling them that they wanted to help him. It was partially wistful, and melancholy in a way that made Michael’s chest ache. She had known him, honestly known him; they had made these jokes before, only in her timeline.

As they walked into the chamber, Michael took a moment to allow his eyes to adjust to the darkened cavern. Kal was propped against Isabel’s busted open pod, sleeping.

“So much for a body guard,” Michael sneered.

“Hush, Michael, we have more important things to talk about than Kal.” Future Liz motioned for Michael to walk into the Granolith chamber.

Future Max was hunched over a small Colman stove, the smell of bacon permeated the chamber. “What was outside?” He looked over, and noticed that it was Michael, as Future Liz followed. “What’s wrong?” Breakfast was quickly forgotten, as Future Max knew that no good came from unexpected visitations.

“We have new intel.” Michael explained. “I was taking Liz home, when we spotted Whitaker walking towards an unoccupied building.”

“And here I thought the most exciting part of the morning was going to be the fact that we were having bacon for breakfast.” Future Max finished up cooking, and offered Michael a piece, as well as a small bottle of hot sauce.

“Thanks.” Michael woofed the bacon down before explaining the message that he had overheard from Nicholas.

“That’s how the little bastard escaped.” Future Liz nodded. “This is making more sense.”

“What do you mean escaped?” Michael was very confused by the new turn of events.

“When we stopped the Skins in my timeline, Nicholas came to Roswell to get us back. He looked the same, but you could tell it was a new Skin. Courtney had explained that Skins only have about 50 year shelf life.” Future Liz was interrupted by Michael.

“Courtney? How does she know so much about the Skins? Why haven’t you mentioned her before?” Michael demanded; he needed to know what she knew. Michael wasn’t used to Future Liz’s cryptic comments, and instead of enjoying the information she was giving him, he needed more. The general in him screamed that she was withholding vital information for the success of the mission.

“She’s one of the Rath supports Nicholas mentioned. She came here hoping to help you take control of the throne, not only from Khivar, but Max as well. Actually we just called them ‘Michael Worshippers’. We never met any other than Courtney, but she talked of more.” Future Liz explained.

“Courtney was a Skin?” Future Max was shocked. “Michael had gotten back with Maria soon after we had. She came blazing into town, flirting with Michael and just generally pissing off Maria. When she realized that she wasn’t going to get Michael attention, she left.”

“I wonder if just Courtney is coming, or if messing with Whitaker has opened a pipeline for more of the Michael Worshippers to show up.” Future Liz mused.

“Let’s not call them that. Can we call them Rath Supporters? Because my name and worshipper in combination makes me think of cults and I’d rather not be synonymous with a cult.” Michael was deeply disturbed. He always thought he was a better leader than Max, but the idea of him becoming King of Antar was too much. Zan was the king, and that thought comforted him in a strange way.

“So the Rath Supporters, do you think they can be swayed to our way of thinking?” Future Max questioned.

“Courtney helped us take down the Skins in my timeline. I can only hope that if we treat them with respect, they will be loyal to our cause. Khivar was almost worse to them then he was to the people of Earth. They followed him, thinking and believing that he was going to give them a better life then living under the royalty. Instead he made them into the slaves, just like everyone else he dominated.” Future Liz sounded remorseful for the plight of the Skins.

“How do you know all that?” Michael was confused. “And how the hell did Zanny wake me up this morning?” Michael let the annoyance of the early morning wakeup call color the question.

“Michael, just because little Cindy Lou Who doesn’t want the King and Queen to see all the previews, doesn’t mean I don’t get a front row seat.” Future Liz gave a slightly rusty, hoarse laugh that sent a chill down Michael’s back, though he refused to allow it to show.

“And the whole thing with Zanny?” Michael pretended that the idea of Future Liz knowing more than Zan and Liz were allowed didn’t terrify him. He wasn’t sure how anyone could be so knowledgeable, and yet so completely blasé about the concept of being practically omnipotent.

“Zan and Liz have bonded completely. I won’t go into gory details, but let’s just say they’ve opened up a Pandora’s Box of knowledge. Now that the Royals are in sync with the Granolith, it boosted the power that the Granolith could tap into… That Serena could tap into.” Future Liz drew in a breath. “Zanny is, for all intents and purposes, like an avatar for the will of the Granolith. Yeah, his personality is still there, but he’s still at the whim of the Granolith’s need. It needed you to get Liz back home. So Zanny did exactly that through your subconscious connection to the Granolith. You didn’t wake up and see Zanny. The Granolith woke your sleeping mind to a midlevel consciousness.”

“Can I be the first to say, that as amazing as the sounds, it’s also extremely creepy.” Future Max pointed out.

“I have to go with Max on that one.” Michael nodded. “So the Granolith can pop in my head anytime it wants?”

“Michael, it’s a giant rock that wants both our peoples to live in peace and harmony, I don’t think it’s going to pop in your head just to say hi.” Future Liz rolled her eyes at the two. Internally, she smiled slightly; it reminded her of when she would explain the different bacterial forms to Zanny as an infant. Her Max would tease her that she was going to permanently scar Zanny, while Michael would agree and try to explain the musically impact of Metallica as a way to slow the scarring process.

“So the giant magic rock wants us to defeat the Skins, place Zan on the throne of Antar, and all of us to just get along?” Michael looked both amused but incredulous.

“Michael, I’m sorry, but you’ve used up your questions for the day.” Future Liz tilted her head in an ‘awe isn’t he cute’ fashion. “Have some bacon.”

“Is she always this annoying when she doesn’t want to answer?” Michael looked at Future Max as he took another piece of bacon.

“You caught her in a good mood. Usually she just threatens to kill us with her brain. And with the shit the Granolith has done to her, I don’t put that power past her.” Future Max stole the bottle of Tabasco back as he ate more of the bacon.

“You both realize I can still hear you, right?” Future Liz rolled her eyes, and grumbled something about male bonding being the end of the world, not Khivar.

“Yeah, but we’ve decided to ignore you, like the questions you refuse to answer.” Michael nodded. “Thanks for the bacon. I have to go and report back to the King.”

[darkmoon]

Thank you to all who have still kept with this! I'm sorry it took so long. It's not long, but it's very important.

Merry Christmas Saavik and Carrie!!!!! I hope this is good enough for both of you!!



Chapter 41



Alex took a smack to the mouth. “Tell me who you work for!” The shaggy ginger growled. He looked more nervous than angry.

“I told you, I was looking into getting an oil change for my friend’s Jetta when you goons attacked me.” Alex’s mouth felt on fire from the hit. His lips felt almost too numb to form words.

“Is that why you kept listening in?” A blonde girl who looked about his age walked in. His eyes widened as he took in the Crashdown uniform she wore.

“What are you doing in that uniform?” Alex felt terrified that the plan against Whitaker had failed. That Nicholas had sent more goons to take them all out.

“I’m a working girl. It seems you are a working kinda guy too. But my boss is pretty easy to figure out. Who’s yours? Nicholas?” The blonde girl walked close to the redhead and patted his shoulder. “My friend here can make you talk…” With an evil grin she leaned closer. “Personally I think you’ll want to talk before then.”


A few hours later, the group minus Alex met up at the Pod Chamber. Tess rung her hands in worry. “I think something is wrong with Alex. He didn’t meet up with me like he was supposed to. He said he saw something weird at the car shop.”

“It’s be Microchip. He’s da coolest cookie in da kingdom. He’s be cool.” Rath smirked, but the amusement didn’t reach his eyes. Worry etched in the corners of his eyes.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Alex’s voice rang from the opening of the cave. Behind five people of different ethnic backgrounds and ages stood. “I’m so cool that I got us allies.”

Tess ran over, and placed a hand against his face. One of Alex’s eyes was swollen shut; while his cheek bone was bruised so badly it was almost black. His mouth was swollen, and he sported a split lip. “We need to get you to see Zan. What happened? Did Whitaker do this to you? I’ll kill her… slowly. If it wasn’t for the fact that Skins pop into dust when you break them open, I’d make a small leak in her.”

The ginger gentleman winced. “That was sorta my fault, ma’am.”

Tess started to stalk towards him, when Future Liz was on him like she appeared from air. Her hands around the man’s neck, while murder gleamed in her eyes, “tell me why I don’t get to kill you?”

“He can't do that with your hands around his neck.” The blonde girl snipped.

“Shut up, Courtney, or I’ll show you how I torture Skins.” Future Liz growled.

“First, how do you know that name? Secondly, we can’t be tortured on Earth. It’s what makes us such great soldiers.” Courtney smirked.

“You can live without your skins underwater… No poof. I’d hold you under, rip your skin off, and then left a finger hit air. This way you slowly turn to dust. And you get to feel each small piece of your body explode into nothingness while you can do nothing. Not like you can get into a ruined skin. You can’t leave the water. It’s even worse if you are stuck in a bath tub. Be careful how you speak to me, child. Death naturally comes fast from me, but I can be easily angered. Then I’ll make sure your people will speak of me in whispers that they use when speaking of the devil, hushed and hoping I don’t hear from the shadows.” Future Liz’s voice was deep and angry. She let go of the choking red head.

“Well there goes my ‘I got us allies’ speech. I knew Future Liz was always better at those anyways.” Alex tried to lighten the mood.

Max walked over to heal Alex’s face. “I need you to look in the eyes. We need you healed up before someone else tries to kill our new ‘allies’.” Max motioned with his eyes to an angry Tess.

“I am not sure we need these allies…” Tess shook with anger. She wanted Alex safe.

“Let us not speak in anger. We have much to discuss. I am thankful that Alex returned to us, not only in good spirits, but with allies.” Zan walked out of the Granolith chamber, his hand holding Liz’s as she walked out after him.

“I don’t follow him.” Courtney grumbled, motioning to Zan and Max. “I only follow him.” A hand pointed to Rath and Michael.

“We’re so screwed.” Maria whined as she placed her head in her hands and sat on the ground. “And wait…” Maria stood up and looked at Courtney. “Why are you wearing a Crashdown uniform?”

“I’m the new waitress.” Courtney smirked.

“We’re screwed.” Maria went back to her original position.