Title- In Destiny’s Shadow - Redemption
Disclaimer- I do not own Roswell, and mean no infringement. It is owned by Melinda Metz, Jason Katims, UPN, WB, etc.
Category- CC, ALL
Rating- Teen/Mature
Summary- This is the Fourth book of In Destiny’s Shadow. The first was the The Longest Day(aka In Destiny’s Shadow.) It picks up on the morning of the first Skin assault on Roswell. Our heroes were successful in their defense, but not without price.
The second book Eidolon relates how our heroes recover and absorb some of the changes forced on them by the Longest Day. Long hidden secrets are revealed, including the existence of a second set of hybrids. The second set had been approached by the governments of Antar and the more powerful of Antar’s colonies. As their Max analogue Zan was unwilling to meet with the leaders, Lonnie and Rath killed him, in the hope of finding Max a more willing participant.
While Max is convinced to attend, things back in Roswell do not go smoothly. Both Liz and Maria are developing powerful abilities, both of which prove necessary in their struggle to survive a second attack on Roswell. In addition bits and pieces of the Pod Squad’s former selves are starting to show, and not all they contain is pleasant.
Meanwhile in Shadows of the Past Max was persuaded to heal Brody Davis’s daughter, causing him to push himself beyond his own abilities and save four other dying children on Christmas Eve. This action more than any other drew the attention of John Ibanez, leader of the enigmatic Far Sight. His gaze was on more than Max, however as further secrets are unleashed about Liz’s past.
Ana, too had been interested in the children of Phoenix, not to heal, but rather to find recruits for her plots. She was particularly interested in Pam Troy, a girl who shared some of, if not all the same traits that had drawn her to Liz Parker. While Pam was saved her life was turned completely upside down.
Also, unknown to most of the Pod Squad, Alex was mind warped into translating the Destiny Book. The bond that he shared with Isabel made her vulnerable to that very same warp, and she too was enlisted to aid the effort. This warp proved to be unsustainable at the very end, and while Alex and Tess were successful (with a help from some of Maria’s fathers notes) Isabel was less than pleased about the results. For Alex lies in a coma brought on by an attack on Tess. Isabel attempted to kill Tess in a moment of rage, but was stopped only by Kyle learning his major gift. He can produce a shield, and kept Isabel’s killing blow at bay. Tess then sundered herself from the others of the Royal Four
And so it stands. Alex still unconscious, and the group shattered by Tess’s actions. They survived the Longest day, managed to work past the confusion of Eidolon, and have begun to learn from the Shadows of the Past. Can they truly understand and grasp the Redemption?
A/N- Below is an abbreviated character list. It will be updated from time to time as necessary.
The hybrids-
Max Evans- Formerly Zan Tarenon, King of Antar
Michael Guerin- Formerly Rath Targan, High General and Zan’s Second.
Isabel Evans- Formerly Vilandra Mitarin Tarenon, Sister to Zan, briefly Queen of Antar.
Tess Harding- Formerly Ava Mitharos Tarenon, Wife to Zan, Queen of Antar No longer a member of the Royal Four.
Carlos Ibanez aka ‘Zan’ - Max’s double - Deceased. Healed Lucia Ibanez and one other.
David Stein aka ‘Rath’ aka ‘Garit‘ – Michael’s double - Works for T Greer
Clarissa Smith aka ‘Lonnie’- Isabel’s double - Nicholas’s slave
Aeron Harding (Bronski) aka ‘Ava’ - Tess’s double.
The ‘I Know an Alien Club’
Liz Parker – Healed by Max, connected to Max, Companion, Dadonari-hybrid through meddling by Ana with the natural changes brought on by Max’s healing
Maria Deluca – Held by Michael, Healed by Max, connected to Michael. Hybridized by Max. Companion
Alex Whitman – In a coma, connected to Isabel
Kyle Valenti – Healed by Max, hybridized by Max. Connected to Tess. Companion
Sheriff Jim Valenti – Sheriff of Chavez County and father to Kyle
The Parents
Jeff and Nancy Parker – Owners of the Crashdown. They are aware of the aliens, Jeff is not. Both had some past involvement in Far Sight
Amy Deluca – local entrepreneur, owns a small alien gift shop. Also bakes pies for local establishments. Aware of the Pod Squad.
Charles and Gloria Whitman - Charles is a contractor, Gloria is a teacher at the local Community College.
Diane and Philip Evans – Local contract lawyers, Diane only works part time. Aware of their children’s heritage.
Rose Troy- Liz’s biological mother, deceased. Prized member of Far Sight. Somewhat of a mystic.
Marco ‘Mark’ Ruiz- Maria’s father. Was married to Amy under the name Stephen Ross. Deceased. Worked with Far Sight. His notes were essential to the decoding of the Destiny Book
The Abducted
Richard Williams – currently abducted by a ex-Mitharan agent, related to Ava. Happy here on Earth, father of three.
Brody Davis – Owner of the UFO Museum, multi-millionaire. Father to Sydney. Ally to the hybrids.
Amil Noor - Khivar’s avatar on Earth. Becoming attached to his hosts wife and children.
The Rhyajhaelians (Skins)
Courtney Banks – ‘Michael worshipper’, Antaran name Karis, former aide to Vilondra. Deceased.
Nicholas Crawford – Former General, Former friend to Rath whom he later killed. Known as Vaderian on Antar. At odds with Greer and Khivar. Headquartered in Las Vegas.
T Greer – Project manager for the ‘Vilondra Project’ and the Harvest, Now the leader of the first Earth built Ark
Congresswoman Vanessa Whitaker – High placed Skin agent, killed by Isabel
Ida Crawford – Nicholas’s Lieutenant, also pretends to be his mother
Zachary Jackson – Former supporter of Rath, betrayed the cause and carrying out the task of destroying them. Killed by Maria.
The Tarans
Ragar - Ana’s bodyguard, killed by Michael
Khivar – Emperor of Antar, former lover to Vilondra, connected to Vilondra
Kathana – Cathian Ambassador
Sero – Padanian Ambassador
Hanar – Lemarcian Ambassador
Zan, Vilondra, and Rath were all Taran
The Mitharans
Ana – Personality Readjustment Specialist, in charge of making a fifth column on Earth
Larek Tritetorin – Former friend and councilor to Zan, current Ambassador from Arilan
Ava was Mitharan
The Shapeshifters
Nasedo – Project Military consultant for Earth mission, raised Tess, presumed dead
Dorian – Project Intelligence consultant for Earth mission, watched over Max, Isabel, and Michael. Former Head of the Antaran Royal Household Guard. Uncle to Nicholas.
Natalie – Guardian for New York contingent of Royals, missing and presumed dead
Kalvin Langely – Ship Engineer of the Bezos, now works as a Hollywood Producer
Far Sight
Alicia Ibanez Davis - former wife to Brody Davis, cousin to Lucia Ibanez. Healed by Zan, Companion Leader of Far Sight Roswell office
John Ibanez- Self-made multimillionaire. Secret leader of Far Sight, a civilian organization involved in alien affairs.
Pam Troy- Inveterate gossip. Primary photographer to the West Roswell Yearbook Committee. Far Sight’s newest recruit.
Adam Balkov - Agent for Far Sight. Natural human psi
Others
Samuel Byrnes – FBI Special Agent in Charge, helped eliminate the Special Unit, searching for Daniel Pierce. Current Director of the reformed Special Unit.
Roger Hart – FBI Agent, member of the reformed Special Unit. Special Agent in Charge, Eagle Rock.
Lucia Ibanez – foster sister to ‘Zan’, Healed by Zan, missing and presumed dead
Sydney Davis- Alicia and Brody’s daughter. Healed by Max. Future Companion
General West- Commanding officer of the Air Forces Special Projects Group.
Sean Deluca- Cousin of Maria. Former lover of Courtney. Now assisting Aeron in her mission to recover Natalie.
Serena Goodwin- Hired by Brody to study the physical effects of recent events in Roswell. In timeline one, she was able to redesign the Granolith to enable time travel.
Rebecca Williams- Daughter to Richard, Computer Science Major at Las Cruces
Jennifer Coleman- Engineering Major at Las Cruces
Laurie Dupree- Grand daughter to Michael’s donor. Possesses strange gifts
Redemption Prologue
It was many things as it spun inside of its emplacement, inside the cave it had resided these fifty-three years. A device of wondrous power, existing both since time immemorial and yet not having yet been created.
It was a weapon in a war that waged across not only time and space but all of Creation. A war that exists both with in time and space and without, a war that all take part in whether they know it or not.
But in calling it a weapon, one makes one’s first mistake. It was not made to destroy or to kill. Although it had been used and called upon to do both.
It had been made to protect. To heal. To create. And to enable others to do the same.
But its creators believed in free will. And so this wondrous gift was at time perverted to other uses. And sometimes, sometimes it was used to do things of greatness far beyond the magnitude for which it had been created.
Once in desperation it had been used as a bridge to cross the years and allow a critical change to be made. The necessary change was different from what they traveler thought needed, but by fate or chance it was indeed made.
A fact that might save not just one timeline, but two.
For it set the stage for a missed opportunity, a possibility brought about by the actions of another. Another who had in a moment of sublime epiphany allowed the Granolith to do something immense and profound.
An action that despite the missed opportunities would reverb throughout Creation.
Only now there was a good chance that in this timeline that opportunity would NOT be missed.
And that could change everything. For the battle continued to rage, and unbeknownst to either the Antarans or Earthlings the Milky Way Galaxy was falling into darkness. One that they among others were fated to fight.
And in time fall..
But perhaps there might be the glimmer of a chance. Some small hope.
Hope for Redemption.
The winds of Serena’s storm now shook the very Heavens…..
IDS - Redemption (CC ALL, Teen/Mature) Epilogue - 01/30/11
Moderators: Anniepoo98, Rowedog, ISLANDGIRL5, Itzstacie, truelovepooh, FSU/MSW-94, Forum Moderators
IDS - Redemption (CC ALL, Teen/Mature) Epilogue - 01/30/11
Last edited by PML on Sun Jan 30, 2011 11:03 pm, edited 17 times in total.
Re: IDS - Redemption (CC ALL, Teen/Mature) Prologue 12/03/09
Starting a little slow, but we'll get there. Thank you to everyone following this story.
AvalonRose- With each story the changes that were made at the beginning begin to have a wider and wider effect. Thanks again.
chanks_girl- Thanks as always. That is still up in the air. There is a tangible rift in their group now. And its more complicated than it might look at first glance, as you will see in the next part. But if they want to live, the friends part will be just as crucial as the lovers part.
RhondaAnn- Thanks
keepsmiling7- Thanks. I hope you enjoy.
cjsl8ne- Thanks. I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer- Roswell is not mine and no infringement is intended.
Redemption Part 1
Alex-
Alex had no clue where or when he was. The only thing important here was the girl.
He loved her. Oh, not like he loved Isabel. Not like that at all. But there was a sense of protectiveness that he felt towards the young woman who looked so much like Isabel. Like Isabel and himself.
If ever they had a daughter, she would look much like this. A mix between the two of them.
It was strange. Like Maria’s Stephanie. Maria had just known in an instant that the girl was hers. It was the same here. He was hesitant to name her, not until he talked to Isabel. Which was silly and stupid, but didn’t make it any more important.
There had been a part of Isabel that had felt so full of sadness at the recognition that Stephanie was not hers. Except this situation was even stranger. This girl knew things. Impossible things.
She had lived and died on Antar. Had more than died. Her very essence, her soul had been captured in a sheet of glass. It had been a punishment that the Antarans had used on only the worst criminals, heretics, or traitors.
Her crime had been being daughter of an influential noble, one that the Revolutionary Council despised.
The wounds from the soul trap were still there, still evident. You couldn’t see them, but the could be felt. But it was strange, the more she talked to him, the more they became close the more those wounds seemed to heal.
She said the same of him.
And he learned so very much about Antar. Not perhaps the most useful things, not the ways and uses of power. But he learned the stories and songs. The everyday life that had existed in her childhood.
He taught her of Earth. She laughed at his stories, of his anecdotes of himself and his friends.
But what she liked the most was when he showed her how to dance. He found that when he concentrated he could make music. It would just appear out of the air. But there were no instruments. He could not teach her how to play.
But to dance….. That he could teach her. And so they glided amongst the unlit columns, in circles around the column that glowed whenever she grew near.
“Why does it do that?”
“When you leave that will be my home. For a little while. But I ask that in those future days, when we meet again, that you teach me again to dance.”
Alex smiled and kissed her forehead and they moved…..
-------
Michael-
Michael looked up at Amy’s soft snores from the couch where she lay curled up. He looked over at Mrs. Parker, who yawned and sipped at another cup of coffee. There were several pads of notepaper that she had already filled. “You don’t need to stay up. Its not your life.”
Nancy smiled, “Oh, yes it is. Do you think anything you’ve read will deter Liz or Maria?”
Michael sighed.
“Exactly. Let’s see if we can find something useful.” Nancy gave him a sardonic grin, “I’m better for more than just book keeping, Michael. If Rose hadn’t died….”
Michael quirked up an eyebrow.
Nancy was dead serious now, “Espionage, Michael. That is what I was learning at Far Sight. Not the cloak and dagger stuff you watch in movies. But sifting through what you know and trying to deduce what the other guy is doing. Analysis. Trust me, there is a reason I’m here with you sifting through all of this, this….”
“Propaganda?”
“I guess you could say that. I just wish I knew more of what had really gone on. This is like trying to base national security decisions based on grade school text books!”
“Right now it’s all we have….. Wait, we should ask Dorian. He might know more.”
“Dorian? I think Liz might have mentioned that name in passing, but I don’t recall it all. Information overload.”
“He’s one of our Protectors. I’ll contact him tomorrow.” He then lifted up the section he was now reading. It was about the fifth Dynasty and why it fell apart.
Boring.
Seriously, couldn’t they have gotten better writers! Mrs. P is right. This is like the text books I avoid like the plague at school. Only I know that I desperately need this information.
And the tests are not pass or fail, but life or death.
--------
Isabel
Isabel was sleeping. Sort of. She was trying to synch her mind to that of Alex’s. She could tell he was there, that she could almost reach him. But it was like he was behind a wall of heavily smoked glass.
She couldn’t quite get in, but she could dimly see him.
He was dancing in a large dark cavern among columns. And in his arms was a young girl, no more than ten. She looked so much like Alex, Isabel’s heart almost burst.
And not just like Alex, but also like her. Like Isabel.
She looked down dream self and cried.
For just a split second she felt the bond recover, felt him. And felt her. The sun peeking through the clouds….
And then it was gone. Flat. The world had gone grey once again.
Isabel cried out and pounded against the glass to no avail.
She awoke to the sense that someone was watching her. Her eyes fluttered as she felt some odd feeling. The feeling of something from the distant past…..
So opened her eyes and saw a dark skinned doctor watching her.
“Perhaps, my dear lady, it is time for you to go home.”
“No I can’t, I can’t leave him. He might wake up. And I need to be here.”
Why did she feel that the man was so familiar? She didn’t recognize him, and she had done lots of charity work. Maybe someone she had bumped into there?
No she would have remembered. It was strange. His glance gave her an eerie fluttering feeling. Not as if he were a danger, but as if…. Well she wasn’t sure.
Just that he was important.
“I see. Well your young man is quite healthy. Hopefully we can find out what is wrong with him and wake him up. I would not have you waste away waiting for him.”
Isabel gripped one of Alex’s hands. She would wait for him.
But for how long?
Her memory ran back to what had happened earlier in Tess’s room. Her attack of Tess.
And Tess’s withdrawal from the Royal Four.
There was a sense of vulnerability that hadn’t been there before. As if they had lost some irreplaceable safeguard.
But despite the fact that she was glad she hadn’t actually killed Tess, she was glad that she was no longer bound to her.
It was strange. There was a part of her that even now still liked her, and mourned the loss of her friendship. And another part that was glad she was gone and wished to never see her again.
Why did she feel such a disconnect?
So many questions and no answers.
If only Alex would awaken. Then at least he would be there to shelter her. Even to yell and berate her. Because she knew that he would be honest with her.
“Well, my dear, I am Doctor Amil Noor, and I will be the chief physician for Mr. Whitman from now on. Hopefully we can ensure him a safe recovery. Good night.” He mumbled a few other things.
Surely he couldn’t have said, ‘my beloved Vi’?
Isabel found little sleep afterwards.
-------
Rebecca-
Rebecca was checking her email. Strange that Alex had not replied to her well wishes for Christmas. Nor had Isabel or Tess.
And then there was a complaint from one of the other groups about the supercomputer. Apparently Tess and Alex had done some serious computing yesterday, enough to tie up a significant amount of its capacity.
She couldn’t wait until she got back to Las Cruces and found out exactly what was going on.
The house in Vail seemed so quiet when she was alone.
It was strange. She had this odd feeling that she was on the outskirts of some vast story. Something that would take away the humdrum normalcy that seemed to cling to everything.
Like those house guest that her father had had. Sean seemed like a good enough guy, if a little rough hewn. Aeron on the other hand had been like a reflection of Tess. Down to even some of her mannerisms!
And yet Aeron had a marked New York accent.
Just strange.
She shook her head and went back to packing.
-------
Aeron-
Aeron hugged herself as she stood near the front of the ship. The sharp sting of the cold air invigorated her.
She had missed the City. There was just so much to do.
And this time she even had a little more money. She could visit all the spots and attractions legally.
For once she didn’t feel like she had to hide.
And there was something else. Something that both filled her with jubilation and a tiny smidge of guilt.
Aeron Harding was in love.
Of course, given her track record how could she tell? Carlos had once seemed like the one and only for her. And then there had been the whirlwind affair with Kyle.
She was still getting over that.
And now Sean.
Was it just the rebound? Was that what she was to him?
He had loved Courtney deeply. She had felt his pain through the flashes.
And that was what told her that this might be different. There were lots of flashes.
And he’d gotten them too. She knew that he felt guilty himself. Guilty for how good he felt, with Courtney so recently gone…..
To hell with it. The past was the past and they were both moving on.
Deathless love? Well maybe not. But the intensity and passion were definitely there. And Sean had a quirky ordinariness about him that had attracted her to Kyle.
It was more ex-con than jock ordinariness. And too be honest that fit Aeron better. She’d spent a decent amount of her own life on the shady side of the law.
What would Natalie think of him? Assuming they did indeed find her.
Three more days. That was how much longer they had.
Ava didn’t worry. 2000 might have been a bad year, but she had a feeling about 2001.….
Risky, but good. Possibly very good.
She certainly had her partner for New Years Evening.
Aeron walked back towards her cabin. Her cabin and Sean.
AvalonRose- With each story the changes that were made at the beginning begin to have a wider and wider effect. Thanks again.
chanks_girl- Thanks as always. That is still up in the air. There is a tangible rift in their group now. And its more complicated than it might look at first glance, as you will see in the next part. But if they want to live, the friends part will be just as crucial as the lovers part.
RhondaAnn- Thanks
keepsmiling7- Thanks. I hope you enjoy.
cjsl8ne- Thanks. I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer- Roswell is not mine and no infringement is intended.
Redemption Part 1
Alex-
Alex had no clue where or when he was. The only thing important here was the girl.
He loved her. Oh, not like he loved Isabel. Not like that at all. But there was a sense of protectiveness that he felt towards the young woman who looked so much like Isabel. Like Isabel and himself.
If ever they had a daughter, she would look much like this. A mix between the two of them.
It was strange. Like Maria’s Stephanie. Maria had just known in an instant that the girl was hers. It was the same here. He was hesitant to name her, not until he talked to Isabel. Which was silly and stupid, but didn’t make it any more important.
There had been a part of Isabel that had felt so full of sadness at the recognition that Stephanie was not hers. Except this situation was even stranger. This girl knew things. Impossible things.
She had lived and died on Antar. Had more than died. Her very essence, her soul had been captured in a sheet of glass. It had been a punishment that the Antarans had used on only the worst criminals, heretics, or traitors.
Her crime had been being daughter of an influential noble, one that the Revolutionary Council despised.
The wounds from the soul trap were still there, still evident. You couldn’t see them, but the could be felt. But it was strange, the more she talked to him, the more they became close the more those wounds seemed to heal.
She said the same of him.
And he learned so very much about Antar. Not perhaps the most useful things, not the ways and uses of power. But he learned the stories and songs. The everyday life that had existed in her childhood.
He taught her of Earth. She laughed at his stories, of his anecdotes of himself and his friends.
But what she liked the most was when he showed her how to dance. He found that when he concentrated he could make music. It would just appear out of the air. But there were no instruments. He could not teach her how to play.
But to dance….. That he could teach her. And so they glided amongst the unlit columns, in circles around the column that glowed whenever she grew near.
“Why does it do that?”
“When you leave that will be my home. For a little while. But I ask that in those future days, when we meet again, that you teach me again to dance.”
Alex smiled and kissed her forehead and they moved…..
-------
Michael-
Michael looked up at Amy’s soft snores from the couch where she lay curled up. He looked over at Mrs. Parker, who yawned and sipped at another cup of coffee. There were several pads of notepaper that she had already filled. “You don’t need to stay up. Its not your life.”
Nancy smiled, “Oh, yes it is. Do you think anything you’ve read will deter Liz or Maria?”
Michael sighed.
“Exactly. Let’s see if we can find something useful.” Nancy gave him a sardonic grin, “I’m better for more than just book keeping, Michael. If Rose hadn’t died….”
Michael quirked up an eyebrow.
Nancy was dead serious now, “Espionage, Michael. That is what I was learning at Far Sight. Not the cloak and dagger stuff you watch in movies. But sifting through what you know and trying to deduce what the other guy is doing. Analysis. Trust me, there is a reason I’m here with you sifting through all of this, this….”
“Propaganda?”
“I guess you could say that. I just wish I knew more of what had really gone on. This is like trying to base national security decisions based on grade school text books!”
“Right now it’s all we have….. Wait, we should ask Dorian. He might know more.”
“Dorian? I think Liz might have mentioned that name in passing, but I don’t recall it all. Information overload.”
“He’s one of our Protectors. I’ll contact him tomorrow.” He then lifted up the section he was now reading. It was about the fifth Dynasty and why it fell apart.
Boring.
Seriously, couldn’t they have gotten better writers! Mrs. P is right. This is like the text books I avoid like the plague at school. Only I know that I desperately need this information.
And the tests are not pass or fail, but life or death.
--------
Isabel
Isabel was sleeping. Sort of. She was trying to synch her mind to that of Alex’s. She could tell he was there, that she could almost reach him. But it was like he was behind a wall of heavily smoked glass.
She couldn’t quite get in, but she could dimly see him.
He was dancing in a large dark cavern among columns. And in his arms was a young girl, no more than ten. She looked so much like Alex, Isabel’s heart almost burst.
And not just like Alex, but also like her. Like Isabel.
She looked down dream self and cried.
For just a split second she felt the bond recover, felt him. And felt her. The sun peeking through the clouds….
And then it was gone. Flat. The world had gone grey once again.
Isabel cried out and pounded against the glass to no avail.
She awoke to the sense that someone was watching her. Her eyes fluttered as she felt some odd feeling. The feeling of something from the distant past…..
So opened her eyes and saw a dark skinned doctor watching her.
“Perhaps, my dear lady, it is time for you to go home.”
“No I can’t, I can’t leave him. He might wake up. And I need to be here.”
Why did she feel that the man was so familiar? She didn’t recognize him, and she had done lots of charity work. Maybe someone she had bumped into there?
No she would have remembered. It was strange. His glance gave her an eerie fluttering feeling. Not as if he were a danger, but as if…. Well she wasn’t sure.
Just that he was important.
“I see. Well your young man is quite healthy. Hopefully we can find out what is wrong with him and wake him up. I would not have you waste away waiting for him.”
Isabel gripped one of Alex’s hands. She would wait for him.
But for how long?
Her memory ran back to what had happened earlier in Tess’s room. Her attack of Tess.
And Tess’s withdrawal from the Royal Four.
There was a sense of vulnerability that hadn’t been there before. As if they had lost some irreplaceable safeguard.
But despite the fact that she was glad she hadn’t actually killed Tess, she was glad that she was no longer bound to her.
It was strange. There was a part of her that even now still liked her, and mourned the loss of her friendship. And another part that was glad she was gone and wished to never see her again.
Why did she feel such a disconnect?
So many questions and no answers.
If only Alex would awaken. Then at least he would be there to shelter her. Even to yell and berate her. Because she knew that he would be honest with her.
“Well, my dear, I am Doctor Amil Noor, and I will be the chief physician for Mr. Whitman from now on. Hopefully we can ensure him a safe recovery. Good night.” He mumbled a few other things.
Surely he couldn’t have said, ‘my beloved Vi’?
Isabel found little sleep afterwards.
-------
Rebecca-
Rebecca was checking her email. Strange that Alex had not replied to her well wishes for Christmas. Nor had Isabel or Tess.
And then there was a complaint from one of the other groups about the supercomputer. Apparently Tess and Alex had done some serious computing yesterday, enough to tie up a significant amount of its capacity.
She couldn’t wait until she got back to Las Cruces and found out exactly what was going on.
The house in Vail seemed so quiet when she was alone.
It was strange. She had this odd feeling that she was on the outskirts of some vast story. Something that would take away the humdrum normalcy that seemed to cling to everything.
Like those house guest that her father had had. Sean seemed like a good enough guy, if a little rough hewn. Aeron on the other hand had been like a reflection of Tess. Down to even some of her mannerisms!
And yet Aeron had a marked New York accent.
Just strange.
She shook her head and went back to packing.
-------
Aeron-
Aeron hugged herself as she stood near the front of the ship. The sharp sting of the cold air invigorated her.
She had missed the City. There was just so much to do.
And this time she even had a little more money. She could visit all the spots and attractions legally.
For once she didn’t feel like she had to hide.
And there was something else. Something that both filled her with jubilation and a tiny smidge of guilt.
Aeron Harding was in love.
Of course, given her track record how could she tell? Carlos had once seemed like the one and only for her. And then there had been the whirlwind affair with Kyle.
She was still getting over that.
And now Sean.
Was it just the rebound? Was that what she was to him?
He had loved Courtney deeply. She had felt his pain through the flashes.
And that was what told her that this might be different. There were lots of flashes.
And he’d gotten them too. She knew that he felt guilty himself. Guilty for how good he felt, with Courtney so recently gone…..
To hell with it. The past was the past and they were both moving on.
Deathless love? Well maybe not. But the intensity and passion were definitely there. And Sean had a quirky ordinariness about him that had attracted her to Kyle.
It was more ex-con than jock ordinariness. And too be honest that fit Aeron better. She’d spent a decent amount of her own life on the shady side of the law.
What would Natalie think of him? Assuming they did indeed find her.
Three more days. That was how much longer they had.
Ava didn’t worry. 2000 might have been a bad year, but she had a feeling about 2001.….
Risky, but good. Possibly very good.
She certainly had her partner for New Years Evening.
Aeron walked back towards her cabin. Her cabin and Sean.
Re: IDS - Redemption (CC ALL, Teen/Mature) Part 1 - 12/18/09
Thanks to everyone following along this story. Have a wonderful New Year!
keepsmiling7- Thanks.
RhondaAnn- Khivar has his plans. And he will be carrying them out shortly.
AvalonRose- When Vilandra was executed by the Revolutionary Council on Antar, she shattered every bit of memory glass in the Hall of Mirrors. This girl was one of those so captured. Executed right before Vilandra was. Aeron's storyline has a small but important part in the resolution of this whole story.
chanks_girl- The girl's situation is complicated. This much I will hint at, it is tied in a way to Stephanie.
Alex needs to wake up. Things aren't going to heal in the group until he does.
Disclaimer- Roswell is not mine and no infringement is intended.
Redemption Part 2
Maria-
Maria walked through the public area of the hospital almost in a fog. The actions of the last dozen hours of her had staggered her and she had not yet had time to adapt.
It did not help that her new senses were so sharp. Had Courtney truly gone through life like this? Able to sense and see the chemical composition of every small thing around her. Dangerous chemicals seemed to lurk everywhere.
And that sense wasn’t going away. Somehow Maria had thought it would all fade. That she would lose this awesome but frightening sense.
So many changes. She felt so different, so strange. Good but strange. She reached out to Michael along her bond. That was what was keeping her somewhat stable.
Another change, but one that she was now familiar with.
Only if things kept changing, if new things kept coming at her, how could she be certain that she was still Maria? There had been a time when she might have been a little frightened all the time, but she had known who and what she was.
Maria wasn’t so sure anymore. But one thing she knew. Anyone trying to screw with her was going to suffer.
Badly.
And then there was Tess.
Maria had let the hate for the girl fade over the last month or so. But now, now there were major changes. She was connected to the girl. And she felt protective of her.
Actions taken in the Balance had lasting effects.
Which was why she was wandering the corridors rather than lingering in one of her friend’s room or another. What did you do when your friends fought, when it was really serious hate flowing between them. But that you could truly sympathize with both of them?
Maria was angry with Tess over Alex. It would not have been that long ago that she would have consigned her to the deepest level of hell over it.
Things had changed.
Maria had just stood by while Isabel had raised her power to strike down Tess. Maria had felt the build up of power, power enough to kill…. She had just stood by as Isabel was about to kill Tess. And done nothing.
She understood exactly why Isabel had done it, she very well might have done the same thing…. But she had just stood by while someone she was beginning to care for was about to be killed. And DONE NOTHING.
Just stood there.
How could she look Tess in the eyes after that? How could she visit with Isabel after she had tried to kill Tess? Because as much as she understood the impulse, it had been wrong.
And then there was Alex. Still in a coma. And the doctors didn’t know when or if he would recover. He didn’t seem badly damaged, but then he wasn’t waking up either….
Maria sighed deeply. She really wanted to go back home. To have Michael just hold her for a while. To drink him in.
He was busy. Bored but highly focused.
It was amazing how fast one could become used to even the strangest sensations. It no longer even seemed strange that she could tell how her lover felt from miles away.
Now it simply provided comfort.
Maria concentrated on Michael, for a moment thought only on him and how much she loved him. And she felt as his thoughts turned to her. Maria closed her eyes for just a moment and reveled in the moment of closeness.
She opened her eyes and smiled, even as the sense of closeness faded and he went back to whatever he was doing. Probably reading that Book. Translating that had better have been worth it.
“Maria?”
Maria looked up and saw Max. He looked lost. Not exactly broken, but worried. Tess’s shattering of the Royal Four had effected him most it seemed. “Max. How is Isabel?”
“Rattled, but fine.”
“Alex?”
“No change.” Max sighed. “I can’t even make a connection to him. Isabel said she got the glimmering of one, but it wasn’t strong enough for me to heal him.”
“Do you need one? You healed those children and…..”
Max shook his head, “I connected to them, Maria. I guess I’m getting better, because they were mostly sleeping, but the connection was made. It’s almost like part of him is missing. Like there is nothing there to connect to.”
“Don’t say that!”
“He’s not dead, Maria. But it is like his mind, his, his essence is gone. Somewhere else.”
Maria tilted her head back, “What about the Balance. Could he be there?”
“He’s human. Completely human.”
“Oh, thanks, just rub it in.”
“Maria, I didn’t mean it like that.”
“I know, I just.” Maria sighed, “So much is changing so fast and I don’t know if I can keep up. Not keep up and still be me.”
Max turned away. “I think I understand. Liz feels a bit like that sometimes, too.”
“Don’t you ever worry about it?”
Max’s voice was quiet, “I’ve never really had that level of certainty of who and what I am. I don’t have as much to lose. I’m, I’m sorry for all the chaos we’ve wrecked on your life.”
“You do get that I would be dead, or that at the very least my best friend would be more than a year dead? I would pay so much more than this for that. For her life.”
“She would do the same for you.”
“She has. Last night, in the Balance….. I don’t know how to describe it Max. But things changed in there. And I mean big changes. Some of it, well, some of it just highlights the rest of my overcomplicated life. Ever closer to Spaceboy, you know? But now….. I’m linked to Tess, Max. Connected.”
“What?”
“Okay, its gonna be a long story, so buy me a cup of coffee and I’ll tell you everything.”
Both of them walked to the hospital cafeteria.
-------
Pam-
Pam sat quietly in the cafeteria of Roswell Memorial Hospital. As always she was watching the people that floated in and out of the cafeteria. She honestly had not expected to see Maria or Max.
They were a funny pair, both of them without a doubt involved with their respective best friends. But there was a casual friendship between them, almost as if they were working together to claim their respective interests. Despite the occasional rumor this summer, Pam could see no romance in the pair.
Their hearts were simply placed elsewhere. They were good friends.
She wished she had some old friends herself. Because her life had changed so much in the last few days she truly wished there was someone she could truly count on.
Even her mother seemed distracted and depressed. The entire Troy clan was working on her even now, still trying to separate her from her daughter.
Already Pam had had a tear stricken confrontation with her younger sister. Who had told her that she loved her, and maybe someday when things calmed down she would be able to talk to her again……
It was only Pam and her mother at the hotel now. And Pam knew that her mother was wavering.
In fact while Pam was having a battery of tests today, her mother was talking with Alicia Ibanez. Pam was half certain that she was going to be made a ward of Far Sight. Have the last of her family cut ties to her.
And she would be totally alone. A week ago she had been part of a tight knit band of relatives and now. Alone.
Worse yet were some of the causes of the divorce between her and her family. She was following in her unspoken Aunt Rose’s footsteps.
Pam had abilities, gifts now. She could see things that others couldn’t. In fact she could see things that could very well drive her mad without training. She had very little choice at the moment in accepting help from the organization that her family blamed for her Aunt’s death.
And those changes, those small alterations in how she could see the world, made the world a much scarier place. Because some things she had once just jested about turned out to be all too real.
Not everyone she knew was human. Or wholly human. Adam wasn’t sure what the divide was. But there were aliens walking around in what amounted to people suits.
Or were part human, part other. Like Maria. She looked human, she acted human. Pam had known Maria almost her entire life. They had been friends in kindergarten for Heaven’s sakes!
Not human.
Or not entirely human.
Adam said that tests were being done to figure out exactly what she and her friends were. Because quiet Max? He wasn’t fully human either. But he at least felt human. Unless she got very close. Then things became… strained. Like who and what he was, was being hidden from causal sight.
But Pam’s sight was more than just casual. Careful tests over the last few days pegged her at the near theoretical limits of this particular ability. She could sense people through solid objects, and according to Adam she would one day be able to read emotional and physical cues from what she saw.
Whatever Maria was, she didn’t even try to hide. Normal humans glowed a steady even blue-green. Maria was an electric green and gold, a tiny filigree of crimson working throughout. And there was a sense of power that followed her….
Not human.
Only…. She was Maria. There was little doubt that it was the girl she had grown up with. The one who was punctuating her conversation with Max with dramatic hand gestures and talking a steady three hundred words a second.
No, life had changed.
Once again the atmosphere of the hospital changed. Something was coming. Something very powerful and very dangerous.
It made Pam want to find someplace to hide. And yet she knew that no place was safe from…. From her. There was something distinctly feminine about the energy that radiated out. Not overly feminized, but enough that Pam could tell.
Pam was however good at hiding her emotions. Emotional control was highly prized in her family. Her ex-family.
No, if Pam was going to be afraid of something, she wanted to know what it was she needed to be afraid of. It was coming…..
Liz Parker walked through the door. Only her aura was a dark blue bordering on purple on top of a darker almost black shade of blue. Waves of power wafted effortlessly from her.
It took a lot of self control just to keep her eyes on Liz, to keep them from averting themselves on the off chance she caught a glimpse of her eyes. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw almost a wave of people self consciously cringing slightly.
They could feel it too.
Liz Parker, eldritch abomination?
My cousin.
If she is my cousin…. Dear God, what the Hell am I?
-------
Alex-
How long the dancing lasted Alex could not say. The girl giggled and sat down.
It was amazing how he felt here. Alive in ways he never had. Almost like something was seeping into him, some deep energy filling him slowly to the brim.
And the girl’s chuckles fell away as she stood. She rushed over as it to protect and be protected from something that stalked amongst the columns.
They were not alone.
A handsome dark skinned man, probably in his early forties walked into the light. “I must admit she never thought small. I had always wondered what her plans were for once the hybrids had actually grown.”
“Who are you?”
“Well hello Alex. And who is this sweet child. How interesting, she’s not human. At least not yet. Fascinating. Well, well, well, Vi always thought of everything. I wonder, could she actually be expecting….” The man shook his head. “There must be thousands of containment units. Did she actually haul them here, or did the Granolith build them? Do you and your hybrid friends even understand what you are dabbling in?”
The girl was cowering in his arms now, clearly frightened.
Well so was Alex. But he wasn’t about to let his fear conquer him. He would face his challenges on his feet.
The man continued. “Ah, you don’t, but this little slip of a girl knows. Haven’t you told him all the truth yet? Or are you hoping he will do what you want without knowing everything?”
The girl looked a little guiltily up at Alex. “I was going to tell you, I promise, Alex. I, I just wanted to spend a little time alone with you. With the one I chose.”
Alex looked down at the girl, her gaze full of shame and fear. Fear that he would reject her.
Why was she so afraid?
Alex would give her the benefit of the doubt and ask her for the full truth once this intruder was gone.
“Who are you? And what are you doing here?”
“My name is Khivar, and I would like to make you a deal.”
-------
Kyle-
Kyle paused outside of Alex’s room. This could get awkward. Particularly in the light that he and Isabel had actually been well on the way to being good friends before recent events.
Kyle could even understand her actions. She had taken it way to far, and he was still angry at Isabel. But he did understand her reasoning.
She was wrong of course. Tess was not a threat to them. She had firmly chosen her human side, perhaps more than the others knew.
As for what Tess had done….. Well Kyle had talked to Max about it a bit. And Max had been completely wigged about the whole situation. Particularly in light of the whole future need for her. Did it matter that she was here if she wasn’t part of the Four? Or would the future still fall because of this?
They didn’t know. And he wasn’t likely to be the guy to figure it out. He was just here to look pretty, protect Tess, the rest of his friends and family, and Roswell. Hell, the whole world if necessary, even if that seemed like an awfully big job for a small town guy like him.
Well Kyle would do his best. And part of that would mean working with the others. Maybe they could find a way to bridge the seemingly huge and sudden gap that seemed to form last night.
He opened the door slightly and saw Isabel look up at him.
Her face was completely impassive. And she was as intimidating as she usually tried to be unless you had worked your way into her good graces. Which Kyle had thought he had.
Maybe he’d lost that in protecting Tess.
If so, he would do it again. Tess brought color to a bland life. Hell, he hadn’t truly realized how damn bored with small town life until she had shown up. And odds were that he was likely stuck here too. But as long as it was with Tess, he would be content.
“Hey, Isabel. Any change?”
“I thought I almost reached him a little a while back. But no, nothing.”
“I am not your enemy.”
“Excuse me?”
“Isabel, don’t play dumb. Cut down on the frost quotient. I am not your enemy and I want Alex to get better as soon as possible. So does Tess.”
“Then where is she?”
“Isabel, she was shot. You know, bullets? High speed metal thingies that do lots of damage?”
“Max hasn’t healed her yet?”
“No. Can’t as long as she’s here. No, she gets normal human medical treatment. With the added bonus of not being sure what drugs will do. So far the safe thing is Ibuprofen and that isn’t much for a bullet wound to the abdomen.”
“I thought Liz…..”
“As far as Max has been able to peek, Tess is healing faster than normal. Plays well with the hospital staff. They think she was part of a super soldier program. Apparently there was one that shut down not far from her in 1989. Probably end up being your cover as well.”
“Super soldier?”
Kyle just shrugged. “Tess wants to apologize. But I need a promise from you.”
“What do you want from me? Can’t you see I’m busy?”
Kyle watched Isabel holding Alex’s hand. “You know she’s sorry. She likes both of you. And she is sorry. You can’t hide that in a connection. You should know that.”
“How do you know she isn’t screwing with your memories or emotions? Huh? How can you trust her?”
“Because I love her.” Kyle sighed. “I told them this was stupid. That they should have told you before they went.”
“Alex knew…..”
“Before they left. I was there. I told them they needed to tell you then. Tess and Alex were afraid you would overreact. Unless they had something so wonderful as to make it seem, well worth it.”
“And if someone did this to Tess?”
“I would totally be pissed about it. Look, I get that your angry. You deserve to be. I get that. But killing her? Isn’t that a bit much?”
Isabel looked away. “And you. I’m sorry, I over reacted.”
“I was pretty sure you wouldn’t kill me to strike at Tess.”
“And you were wrong. I am sorry about that Kyle, but…..”
“Yeah.”
“So what about what she did? Pulling herself out of the Royal Four. Don’t you think we should have at least discussed it? Tried to figure out if someone could take her place, or something.”
“And if she died, it would have been the same Isabel. Look, even Tess admitted to being wrong about Destiny. Wrong about pushing it all on you, about using her powers on all of us. But it’s not like anyone else might casually use their powers for their own personal gain, now is there?”
“It is not the same.”
“Just a tiny bit of invasion of privacy, I’ll grant you its not manipulating someone’s memories, but still your not entirely innocent here. And she wasn’t being treated well by any of the others. Mostly because of some of the shit she had tried to pull earlier, but still. You’ve known she was important to all of you and yet you still did not make her feel at home.”
“She’s not one of us!”
“Exactly. She isn’t. And she would never be able to make up that gap, to fully fit in with what you and Michael and Max share. It was just a bit more Destiny crap. Maybe there is something to the whole Royal Four thing. But if there is, and if trust is a component, then Tess would never have fit in. Because I doubt you would ever trust her. Not after what she did to Alex. And remember she is not responsible for their car crash. Someone was trying to assassinate her. They have been since New York. Did any of you offer to help her with that?”
“Look your missing the point. I wasn’t the one who was mind warping my friends. She has made all of our lives hell, Kyle. No, there is no way I could bring myself to trust her. Not now, not ever.”
Kyle’s voice was sad but resolute, “Then what she did at the end was right. She did not belong, and she never would. Just remember that I am not your enemy, and neither is she.” He turned to go. “God, I hope Alex wakes soon. If he does, tell him Tess sends her love.”
Isabel was just quiet, just holding Alex’s hand.
Kyle sighed and turned. “Can I just have one thing from you?”
“What?”
“Honestly, Iz, are you going to try to kill her again?”
“No. Not unless she is still hiding something Kyle. But I will never trust her. Never. Not again.”
Kyle looked back at Isabel, “You never really did anyway. I’ll be by later to see how both of you are doing.”
And Kyle left.
--------
Liz-
Liz didn’t have a lot of time. Her dad was checking on a few things and then they would need to go.
But she had to see Max. She had to.
Like a lodestone she followed her sense of him until she spotted him and Maria talking in the cafeteria. Max’s eyes lifted and met hers.
And Liz felt safe. She walked those few steps. She needed to hold him, for him to tell her it was all going to be okay.
Because at some point as she had stared at the sky, she felt something… waken… inside of her. And it was very powerful. Perhaps it was just her realization that she had a Seal now. That she had access to the might that was the Granolith.
Perhaps.
Liz wasn’t sure. And she wasn’t sure that she could be trusted with all of this power. Or what it could do. But she could feel it resonate through her, begging to be used.
What if it started to leak? Would she start blasting lightning everywhere like Maria had?
She felt like she could do anything at the moment.
Anything.
And if frightened her.
Badly.
Because there were things she would like to try. Just to see if she could actually do them.
Maria looked at Max and then at Liz. She had a slight knowing smile. “So, did you enjoy what your dad had to show you?”
“Maria, Dad is here, he’ll take you home if you want. We’ll be leaving in a few minutes.”
“Check. And you want to spend a few quality minutes with Mr. Max. Got it. But, girlfriend, you have to promise to tell me everything.”
“Promise.”
Maria looked over at Max, “Thanks for the coffee, we’ll continue our chat later.”
Max mumbled thanks, but his eyes were already on Liz’s.
Liz vaguely heard some comment from Maria, but she was too busy trying to draw comfort from Max. She reached out and held his hand. “Max, about tonight…..”
“Yes, Liz?”
The way he said her name…. It sent shivers down her spine. She felt almost like she had last year. Only now she was different too. And while her origins were wholly terrestrial, her back story was almost as complicated.
“Thank you for helping me. But, I’m scared Max.”
“Why? Of what?”
“Of me, Max. I am frightened of myself.”
keepsmiling7- Thanks.
RhondaAnn- Khivar has his plans. And he will be carrying them out shortly.
AvalonRose- When Vilandra was executed by the Revolutionary Council on Antar, she shattered every bit of memory glass in the Hall of Mirrors. This girl was one of those so captured. Executed right before Vilandra was. Aeron's storyline has a small but important part in the resolution of this whole story.
chanks_girl- The girl's situation is complicated. This much I will hint at, it is tied in a way to Stephanie.
Alex needs to wake up. Things aren't going to heal in the group until he does.
Disclaimer- Roswell is not mine and no infringement is intended.
Redemption Part 2
Maria-
Maria walked through the public area of the hospital almost in a fog. The actions of the last dozen hours of her had staggered her and she had not yet had time to adapt.
It did not help that her new senses were so sharp. Had Courtney truly gone through life like this? Able to sense and see the chemical composition of every small thing around her. Dangerous chemicals seemed to lurk everywhere.
And that sense wasn’t going away. Somehow Maria had thought it would all fade. That she would lose this awesome but frightening sense.
So many changes. She felt so different, so strange. Good but strange. She reached out to Michael along her bond. That was what was keeping her somewhat stable.
Another change, but one that she was now familiar with.
Only if things kept changing, if new things kept coming at her, how could she be certain that she was still Maria? There had been a time when she might have been a little frightened all the time, but she had known who and what she was.
Maria wasn’t so sure anymore. But one thing she knew. Anyone trying to screw with her was going to suffer.
Badly.
And then there was Tess.
Maria had let the hate for the girl fade over the last month or so. But now, now there were major changes. She was connected to the girl. And she felt protective of her.
Actions taken in the Balance had lasting effects.
Which was why she was wandering the corridors rather than lingering in one of her friend’s room or another. What did you do when your friends fought, when it was really serious hate flowing between them. But that you could truly sympathize with both of them?
Maria was angry with Tess over Alex. It would not have been that long ago that she would have consigned her to the deepest level of hell over it.
Things had changed.
Maria had just stood by while Isabel had raised her power to strike down Tess. Maria had felt the build up of power, power enough to kill…. She had just stood by as Isabel was about to kill Tess. And done nothing.
She understood exactly why Isabel had done it, she very well might have done the same thing…. But she had just stood by while someone she was beginning to care for was about to be killed. And DONE NOTHING.
Just stood there.
How could she look Tess in the eyes after that? How could she visit with Isabel after she had tried to kill Tess? Because as much as she understood the impulse, it had been wrong.
And then there was Alex. Still in a coma. And the doctors didn’t know when or if he would recover. He didn’t seem badly damaged, but then he wasn’t waking up either….
Maria sighed deeply. She really wanted to go back home. To have Michael just hold her for a while. To drink him in.
He was busy. Bored but highly focused.
It was amazing how fast one could become used to even the strangest sensations. It no longer even seemed strange that she could tell how her lover felt from miles away.
Now it simply provided comfort.
Maria concentrated on Michael, for a moment thought only on him and how much she loved him. And she felt as his thoughts turned to her. Maria closed her eyes for just a moment and reveled in the moment of closeness.
She opened her eyes and smiled, even as the sense of closeness faded and he went back to whatever he was doing. Probably reading that Book. Translating that had better have been worth it.
“Maria?”
Maria looked up and saw Max. He looked lost. Not exactly broken, but worried. Tess’s shattering of the Royal Four had effected him most it seemed. “Max. How is Isabel?”
“Rattled, but fine.”
“Alex?”
“No change.” Max sighed. “I can’t even make a connection to him. Isabel said she got the glimmering of one, but it wasn’t strong enough for me to heal him.”
“Do you need one? You healed those children and…..”
Max shook his head, “I connected to them, Maria. I guess I’m getting better, because they were mostly sleeping, but the connection was made. It’s almost like part of him is missing. Like there is nothing there to connect to.”
“Don’t say that!”
“He’s not dead, Maria. But it is like his mind, his, his essence is gone. Somewhere else.”
Maria tilted her head back, “What about the Balance. Could he be there?”
“He’s human. Completely human.”
“Oh, thanks, just rub it in.”
“Maria, I didn’t mean it like that.”
“I know, I just.” Maria sighed, “So much is changing so fast and I don’t know if I can keep up. Not keep up and still be me.”
Max turned away. “I think I understand. Liz feels a bit like that sometimes, too.”
“Don’t you ever worry about it?”
Max’s voice was quiet, “I’ve never really had that level of certainty of who and what I am. I don’t have as much to lose. I’m, I’m sorry for all the chaos we’ve wrecked on your life.”
“You do get that I would be dead, or that at the very least my best friend would be more than a year dead? I would pay so much more than this for that. For her life.”
“She would do the same for you.”
“She has. Last night, in the Balance….. I don’t know how to describe it Max. But things changed in there. And I mean big changes. Some of it, well, some of it just highlights the rest of my overcomplicated life. Ever closer to Spaceboy, you know? But now….. I’m linked to Tess, Max. Connected.”
“What?”
“Okay, its gonna be a long story, so buy me a cup of coffee and I’ll tell you everything.”
Both of them walked to the hospital cafeteria.
-------
Pam-
Pam sat quietly in the cafeteria of Roswell Memorial Hospital. As always she was watching the people that floated in and out of the cafeteria. She honestly had not expected to see Maria or Max.
They were a funny pair, both of them without a doubt involved with their respective best friends. But there was a casual friendship between them, almost as if they were working together to claim their respective interests. Despite the occasional rumor this summer, Pam could see no romance in the pair.
Their hearts were simply placed elsewhere. They were good friends.
She wished she had some old friends herself. Because her life had changed so much in the last few days she truly wished there was someone she could truly count on.
Even her mother seemed distracted and depressed. The entire Troy clan was working on her even now, still trying to separate her from her daughter.
Already Pam had had a tear stricken confrontation with her younger sister. Who had told her that she loved her, and maybe someday when things calmed down she would be able to talk to her again……
It was only Pam and her mother at the hotel now. And Pam knew that her mother was wavering.
In fact while Pam was having a battery of tests today, her mother was talking with Alicia Ibanez. Pam was half certain that she was going to be made a ward of Far Sight. Have the last of her family cut ties to her.
And she would be totally alone. A week ago she had been part of a tight knit band of relatives and now. Alone.
Worse yet were some of the causes of the divorce between her and her family. She was following in her unspoken Aunt Rose’s footsteps.
Pam had abilities, gifts now. She could see things that others couldn’t. In fact she could see things that could very well drive her mad without training. She had very little choice at the moment in accepting help from the organization that her family blamed for her Aunt’s death.
And those changes, those small alterations in how she could see the world, made the world a much scarier place. Because some things she had once just jested about turned out to be all too real.
Not everyone she knew was human. Or wholly human. Adam wasn’t sure what the divide was. But there were aliens walking around in what amounted to people suits.
Or were part human, part other. Like Maria. She looked human, she acted human. Pam had known Maria almost her entire life. They had been friends in kindergarten for Heaven’s sakes!
Not human.
Or not entirely human.
Adam said that tests were being done to figure out exactly what she and her friends were. Because quiet Max? He wasn’t fully human either. But he at least felt human. Unless she got very close. Then things became… strained. Like who and what he was, was being hidden from causal sight.
But Pam’s sight was more than just casual. Careful tests over the last few days pegged her at the near theoretical limits of this particular ability. She could sense people through solid objects, and according to Adam she would one day be able to read emotional and physical cues from what she saw.
Whatever Maria was, she didn’t even try to hide. Normal humans glowed a steady even blue-green. Maria was an electric green and gold, a tiny filigree of crimson working throughout. And there was a sense of power that followed her….
Not human.
Only…. She was Maria. There was little doubt that it was the girl she had grown up with. The one who was punctuating her conversation with Max with dramatic hand gestures and talking a steady three hundred words a second.
No, life had changed.
Once again the atmosphere of the hospital changed. Something was coming. Something very powerful and very dangerous.
It made Pam want to find someplace to hide. And yet she knew that no place was safe from…. From her. There was something distinctly feminine about the energy that radiated out. Not overly feminized, but enough that Pam could tell.
Pam was however good at hiding her emotions. Emotional control was highly prized in her family. Her ex-family.
No, if Pam was going to be afraid of something, she wanted to know what it was she needed to be afraid of. It was coming…..
Liz Parker walked through the door. Only her aura was a dark blue bordering on purple on top of a darker almost black shade of blue. Waves of power wafted effortlessly from her.
It took a lot of self control just to keep her eyes on Liz, to keep them from averting themselves on the off chance she caught a glimpse of her eyes. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw almost a wave of people self consciously cringing slightly.
They could feel it too.
Liz Parker, eldritch abomination?
My cousin.
If she is my cousin…. Dear God, what the Hell am I?
-------
Alex-
How long the dancing lasted Alex could not say. The girl giggled and sat down.
It was amazing how he felt here. Alive in ways he never had. Almost like something was seeping into him, some deep energy filling him slowly to the brim.
And the girl’s chuckles fell away as she stood. She rushed over as it to protect and be protected from something that stalked amongst the columns.
They were not alone.
A handsome dark skinned man, probably in his early forties walked into the light. “I must admit she never thought small. I had always wondered what her plans were for once the hybrids had actually grown.”
“Who are you?”
“Well hello Alex. And who is this sweet child. How interesting, she’s not human. At least not yet. Fascinating. Well, well, well, Vi always thought of everything. I wonder, could she actually be expecting….” The man shook his head. “There must be thousands of containment units. Did she actually haul them here, or did the Granolith build them? Do you and your hybrid friends even understand what you are dabbling in?”
The girl was cowering in his arms now, clearly frightened.
Well so was Alex. But he wasn’t about to let his fear conquer him. He would face his challenges on his feet.
The man continued. “Ah, you don’t, but this little slip of a girl knows. Haven’t you told him all the truth yet? Or are you hoping he will do what you want without knowing everything?”
The girl looked a little guiltily up at Alex. “I was going to tell you, I promise, Alex. I, I just wanted to spend a little time alone with you. With the one I chose.”
Alex looked down at the girl, her gaze full of shame and fear. Fear that he would reject her.
Why was she so afraid?
Alex would give her the benefit of the doubt and ask her for the full truth once this intruder was gone.
“Who are you? And what are you doing here?”
“My name is Khivar, and I would like to make you a deal.”
-------
Kyle-
Kyle paused outside of Alex’s room. This could get awkward. Particularly in the light that he and Isabel had actually been well on the way to being good friends before recent events.
Kyle could even understand her actions. She had taken it way to far, and he was still angry at Isabel. But he did understand her reasoning.
She was wrong of course. Tess was not a threat to them. She had firmly chosen her human side, perhaps more than the others knew.
As for what Tess had done….. Well Kyle had talked to Max about it a bit. And Max had been completely wigged about the whole situation. Particularly in light of the whole future need for her. Did it matter that she was here if she wasn’t part of the Four? Or would the future still fall because of this?
They didn’t know. And he wasn’t likely to be the guy to figure it out. He was just here to look pretty, protect Tess, the rest of his friends and family, and Roswell. Hell, the whole world if necessary, even if that seemed like an awfully big job for a small town guy like him.
Well Kyle would do his best. And part of that would mean working with the others. Maybe they could find a way to bridge the seemingly huge and sudden gap that seemed to form last night.
He opened the door slightly and saw Isabel look up at him.
Her face was completely impassive. And she was as intimidating as she usually tried to be unless you had worked your way into her good graces. Which Kyle had thought he had.
Maybe he’d lost that in protecting Tess.
If so, he would do it again. Tess brought color to a bland life. Hell, he hadn’t truly realized how damn bored with small town life until she had shown up. And odds were that he was likely stuck here too. But as long as it was with Tess, he would be content.
“Hey, Isabel. Any change?”
“I thought I almost reached him a little a while back. But no, nothing.”
“I am not your enemy.”
“Excuse me?”
“Isabel, don’t play dumb. Cut down on the frost quotient. I am not your enemy and I want Alex to get better as soon as possible. So does Tess.”
“Then where is she?”
“Isabel, she was shot. You know, bullets? High speed metal thingies that do lots of damage?”
“Max hasn’t healed her yet?”
“No. Can’t as long as she’s here. No, she gets normal human medical treatment. With the added bonus of not being sure what drugs will do. So far the safe thing is Ibuprofen and that isn’t much for a bullet wound to the abdomen.”
“I thought Liz…..”
“As far as Max has been able to peek, Tess is healing faster than normal. Plays well with the hospital staff. They think she was part of a super soldier program. Apparently there was one that shut down not far from her in 1989. Probably end up being your cover as well.”
“Super soldier?”
Kyle just shrugged. “Tess wants to apologize. But I need a promise from you.”
“What do you want from me? Can’t you see I’m busy?”
Kyle watched Isabel holding Alex’s hand. “You know she’s sorry. She likes both of you. And she is sorry. You can’t hide that in a connection. You should know that.”
“How do you know she isn’t screwing with your memories or emotions? Huh? How can you trust her?”
“Because I love her.” Kyle sighed. “I told them this was stupid. That they should have told you before they went.”
“Alex knew…..”
“Before they left. I was there. I told them they needed to tell you then. Tess and Alex were afraid you would overreact. Unless they had something so wonderful as to make it seem, well worth it.”
“And if someone did this to Tess?”
“I would totally be pissed about it. Look, I get that your angry. You deserve to be. I get that. But killing her? Isn’t that a bit much?”
Isabel looked away. “And you. I’m sorry, I over reacted.”
“I was pretty sure you wouldn’t kill me to strike at Tess.”
“And you were wrong. I am sorry about that Kyle, but…..”
“Yeah.”
“So what about what she did? Pulling herself out of the Royal Four. Don’t you think we should have at least discussed it? Tried to figure out if someone could take her place, or something.”
“And if she died, it would have been the same Isabel. Look, even Tess admitted to being wrong about Destiny. Wrong about pushing it all on you, about using her powers on all of us. But it’s not like anyone else might casually use their powers for their own personal gain, now is there?”
“It is not the same.”
“Just a tiny bit of invasion of privacy, I’ll grant you its not manipulating someone’s memories, but still your not entirely innocent here. And she wasn’t being treated well by any of the others. Mostly because of some of the shit she had tried to pull earlier, but still. You’ve known she was important to all of you and yet you still did not make her feel at home.”
“She’s not one of us!”
“Exactly. She isn’t. And she would never be able to make up that gap, to fully fit in with what you and Michael and Max share. It was just a bit more Destiny crap. Maybe there is something to the whole Royal Four thing. But if there is, and if trust is a component, then Tess would never have fit in. Because I doubt you would ever trust her. Not after what she did to Alex. And remember she is not responsible for their car crash. Someone was trying to assassinate her. They have been since New York. Did any of you offer to help her with that?”
“Look your missing the point. I wasn’t the one who was mind warping my friends. She has made all of our lives hell, Kyle. No, there is no way I could bring myself to trust her. Not now, not ever.”
Kyle’s voice was sad but resolute, “Then what she did at the end was right. She did not belong, and she never would. Just remember that I am not your enemy, and neither is she.” He turned to go. “God, I hope Alex wakes soon. If he does, tell him Tess sends her love.”
Isabel was just quiet, just holding Alex’s hand.
Kyle sighed and turned. “Can I just have one thing from you?”
“What?”
“Honestly, Iz, are you going to try to kill her again?”
“No. Not unless she is still hiding something Kyle. But I will never trust her. Never. Not again.”
Kyle looked back at Isabel, “You never really did anyway. I’ll be by later to see how both of you are doing.”
And Kyle left.
--------
Liz-
Liz didn’t have a lot of time. Her dad was checking on a few things and then they would need to go.
But she had to see Max. She had to.
Like a lodestone she followed her sense of him until she spotted him and Maria talking in the cafeteria. Max’s eyes lifted and met hers.
And Liz felt safe. She walked those few steps. She needed to hold him, for him to tell her it was all going to be okay.
Because at some point as she had stared at the sky, she felt something… waken… inside of her. And it was very powerful. Perhaps it was just her realization that she had a Seal now. That she had access to the might that was the Granolith.
Perhaps.
Liz wasn’t sure. And she wasn’t sure that she could be trusted with all of this power. Or what it could do. But she could feel it resonate through her, begging to be used.
What if it started to leak? Would she start blasting lightning everywhere like Maria had?
She felt like she could do anything at the moment.
Anything.
And if frightened her.
Badly.
Because there were things she would like to try. Just to see if she could actually do them.
Maria looked at Max and then at Liz. She had a slight knowing smile. “So, did you enjoy what your dad had to show you?”
“Maria, Dad is here, he’ll take you home if you want. We’ll be leaving in a few minutes.”
“Check. And you want to spend a few quality minutes with Mr. Max. Got it. But, girlfriend, you have to promise to tell me everything.”
“Promise.”
Maria looked over at Max, “Thanks for the coffee, we’ll continue our chat later.”
Max mumbled thanks, but his eyes were already on Liz’s.
Liz vaguely heard some comment from Maria, but she was too busy trying to draw comfort from Max. She reached out and held his hand. “Max, about tonight…..”
“Yes, Liz?”
The way he said her name…. It sent shivers down her spine. She felt almost like she had last year. Only now she was different too. And while her origins were wholly terrestrial, her back story was almost as complicated.
“Thank you for helping me. But, I’m scared Max.”
“Why? Of what?”
“Of me, Max. I am frightened of myself.”
Re: IDS - Redemption (CC ALL, Teen/Mature) Part 2 - 12/29/09
For whatever reason this story has suffered the most from the time I took off to do Teardrop. I am sorry abou that and will try to get this back to a regular posting schedule.
Thanks to everyone following along. As well as those who voted for me in the recent runnerup's for best series for IDS and best supporting for Michael. Thank you very much.
By the way, does anyone have a name I should give the girl with Alex? Feel free to PM me or let me know. I'll be naming her in the next part.
chanks_girl- Thanks. There is also the question of what Alex can provide to Khivar as well. That is covered in this part.
As to Kyle and Isabel, well Kyle knows that Tess was in the wrong, but he has worked with Isabel a lot in this story. He does not want her as an enemy. And yeah, what Tess has done is a lot worse. They haven't even touched her use of Valerium or, yeah, Tess has a lot to make up for.
AvalonRose- Thanks. Lots of changes. And they aren't finished. They all need to learn to hold together or they are going to suffer the lack of trust. Tess has a lot to do to earn that trust in particular, and Isabel has a lot of reasons to dislike her.
RhondaAnn- Pam is only seeing her from the outside, and from that vision it would seem that not much has changed. All of the characters have had a lot of major things happen to them and around them. Maria and Liz perhaps the most.
Liz hasn't completely noticed what she's doing. But she's very powerful and her powers are finally fully developing. And she has little to no control yet over the new batch.
DeDe PR- Thanks.
keepsmiling7 Thanks. Liz has every reason to be frightened. As you will see in a couple of parts.
Liz Parker Evans- Thanks. They are cringing because she is afraid of herself.
Disclaimer- Roswell is not mine and no infringement is intended.
Redemption Part 3
Richard-
Richard Williams was staring out at the seascape, trying to figure out exactly why he was here. Why did he care about resurrecting an old Antaran Protector for Aeron?
Sure, Richard’s original Mithar family had served the Mitharos House for generations. But even there, he himself had never served them. They had been crushed by Khivar and his Skin thugs. So while there was loyalty of a sort there, surely it wasn’t enough for him to drag himself halfway across the continent to find this damaged Protector.
Those kids from Roswell. That is what this is about. Making him remember. Remember his former life and the mission he had been sent on all those years ago. A mission that had failed utterly, one that likely the original commanders of which were likely all dead.
He certainly had never received another communication. And outside of some Skin hunting on Earth, he had kept his alien activities minimal.
After all, he was essentially human now. He had a family to raise and protect. Only now even the youngest was taking her steps away from the nest. And he was alone.
Was that all it was? That he was alone and so now he felt free to go gallivanting off on alien themed adventures? A weird sort of midlife crisis?
He looked along the deck and saw her, saw Aeron staring out into the sea. She was like and unlike her sister Tess. Softer somehow. More compassionate.
He watched as another figure crept out along the deck towards her. Sean.
Richard couldn’t help but smile. Young love. Beautiful in all its foolishness.
Richard heard a footfall behind him. One of the crew.
“Sir?”
“Yes.”
“We’ve found something. The Captain said to bring you at once.”
“Very well. If you can send someone to fetch Miss Harding and Mr. Deluca as well please.”
“Yes, sir.” He raised a walkie up and told someone to fetch the others and then lead Richard to where the Captain and some of his crew stood near the bow of the ship.
One of the men was dragging something over the side.
A body. A female body draped only in a metal network of chains.
That would have been note worthy enough. Except the body was glowing with a soft golden light.
He heard Aeron’s soft voice ask, “What is going on?”
Richard turned to face her, “We have found her. We have found your Protector.”
--------
Max-
Max looked deeply into Liz’s troubled eyes. “Liz, what is wrong?”
She looked at him, drinking him in almost desperately. “I feel like I am losing myself, Max. Tonight, what I learned tonight…..”
Max gave her a little peck on the cheek, “It will all be okay, together we will make it okay.”
Liz’s shaking subsided and she took a deep breath. “I have a Seal, Max.”
“Of course, I lent you mine to save Tess…..”
Liz shook her head. “Max, you have that back. And I don’t think I could have done what I did without it. But it awakened something inside of me, and tonight. Tonight…..”
“Liz, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me.”
“Tonight, my dad took me to a favorite spot of my mother’s. Her secret safe place. A place that apparently her friends often had a hard time finding if she did not lead them there.”
“Liz?”
“It is the hill your Pod Chamber is hidden in. And, Max, I had a flash. It was where I was conceived. My mother knew something, made some sort of connection and…. And I have no clue what it is, only that I feel like something has awakened in me. And I am scared Max, I am frightened. Because there’s something else in me that wants that power. Something, something evil.”
“Liz, I can’t ever see you as being evil.”
“What about Emily? Can you see her as being evil? Because she’s just as much me as I am. Just a different set of memories and priorities.”
“But she is not you and I thought we took care of her.”
Liz shook her head, “No. She is still there. Just a part of me, but always a part of me.”
Max used his powers to connect to her and he found…. Something other than what he expected. She was inexorably linked to something of vast power. Something familiar.
He should know, he had one too.
Liz Parker was linked to the Granilith the same way he was. Only there was a difference. Because despite their love, despite all their shared bond, there was a part of him that was alien. His soul was Taran, the soul of Zan Tarenon.
And despite her power, despite all the changes that had been wrought in her, Liz was still inextricably human.
The bond to the Granolith was tied completely to the part of him that was alien and to Liz in parts of her that were irreducibly human. It was different and separate.
Liz was tied to the Granolith as much as he was. But if his tie made him King of Antar….
What did Liz’s make Liz?
Max continued to talk to Liz, making her laugh and calm down. But inside, Max was himself anything but calm.
Because now he was wondering.
What was Liz Parker?
--------
Pam
Pam just sat there watching not just Liz and Max, but also the other people in the room. Whatever he was saying to her was calming her down.
Which seemed to be relieving some of the tension in the room.
She was so busy watching she didn’t notice Adam walk up to their table.
“So that is Liz Parked, daughter of Rose. My God, if she was anywhere near as strong as Liz is, no wonder….”
Pam looked over at Adam. He was still his handsome self. But his focus was solely on Liz. And his study was making her nervous. Like he was studying a dangerous animal.
“What is it?”
“Can’t you feel it? She is projecting massive amounts of empathy around. It is affecting everyone, even though most don’t consciously realize it.”
“I felt her when she entered the building.”
“Yes. Good,” He turned to look at her. “Any twinges to push you to do anything, and outside feelings trying to push you to some action.”
“No, but I was scared.” Truth was she was still scared. Too much of her life was changing much too fast.
She watched as Maria and Mr. Parker came and claimed Liz.
Pam tried not to visibly relax when Liz left. But she did note that she was not the only one. She looked over at Max.
A worried Max. Not that rare of a sight, really. But he was worried about Liz.
Why? For all she could see they were as lovey dovey as they had ever been last year. More so if anything. Liz would never have stood up to her critics so visibly as she had recently. People had been shocked how swiftly and thoroughly she had dealt with Vanessa.
In fact that day marked a change in all of them.
“Good. Pam, I have to tell you that half of what you will be providing Far Sight will be your insight into these people. They are very powerful, more so that I believe you are aware. More so that I thought possible. But you know them, and with your help, maybe we can find out if they mean harm.”
“Harm? What are you talking about? You are right, I know these people. I can’t say I always got along with them. But you can’t honestly think they are a danger to everyone around them. I mean the thought of Maria or Liz or Alex being a threat, it’s just silly.”
“I notice you didn’t mention the others.”
“The Czechs. Yeah. Well, if you leave them alone, basically don’t screw with them, you are fine. Isabel has her quirks, but she’s a good person no matter how hard she tries to hide it. She’s got a temper, though. Max….. Max is the sort of person who if you ran over with your car would be worried about the damage he had done to your paint job. Nice doesn’t even come into it. He’s also got a temper, and well is a bit controlling at times. Probably doesn’t even realize it, but you would be surprised the number of times people do what he tells them to do.”
“You didn’t mention Michael, Tess, or Kyle.”
Pam looked at him. “Don’t screw with Michael. Pretty much that simple. Bad things happen if you do. In fact, its best to not step on the toes of anyone he likes. I’ve never seen him do anything, but…. Bad things happen.”
“Bad things?” Adam looked worried.
“Nothing like that. He wouldn’t hurt you. Not unless you seriously hurt one he loves. But, let me give you an example. Some of Kyle’s jock friends knocked Max around a little. They started to have… accidents. Nothing too bad, but Kyle had to have his locker torn open. It had been sealed somehow.”
“Molecular manipulation. He probably has alien ties then.” He nodded to himself. “And Tess or Kyle?”
“Well they’re friends with them and all, but their not really a core part of the group.”
“Tess is a hybrid. We are fairly sure of that. We are running some fairly sophisticated tests to determine exactly what was changed but…..”
“Tess is, is one of them?” Pam blinked her eyes a moment, trying to readjust to that notion that one of her close friends was non-human. Sure, she had a good relationship with Isabel, but they weren’t really friends. Not like she had become with Tess.
This would take some getting used to.
“We’re not sure about Kyle. We’ve gotten some DNA and hair samples from him and they’re being analyzed now.”
“He started getting new agey after last year. Changed quite a bit over the summer. Are they, are they taking us over one by one? Evil pod people?”
“No. Not so far as we can tell. Something similar happened to Alicia…. Well its not well known, but the Chief’s granddaughter has Alpha class gifts. I’ll be working to train her. As much as I can. She’s stronger than I am.” He had a wry grin, “We’re going to have to change out measurement table for your friends. Hopefully we can get at least one of them to join us. It will take some getting used to be posted out her in Roswell.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’ll give me more an opportunity to practice, less distractions.”
“Yeah, if there is one thing we have it’s less distractions than New York. It’s boring.”
“Not anymore.” Adam took a sip of his coffee. “Speaking of which, you are friends with Tess?”
“Yes. Or I was, I mean is it safe?”
“Pam, if she wanted to hurt you she probably already would have. We need to watch them, make sure they’re safe. But they’ve been pretty quit so far.” Adam shook his head, “No, I just think you should visit her tomorrow. She’s here, in the hospital.”
“Is she okay?”
“She was shot twice and involved in an accident. Doctors were pretty sure she was not going to make it, but….”
“She got better. I wonder how they are going to hide this? I mean it is one thing to heal a ward of children when no one is looking, but on the operating table?”
“They haven’t healed her like that. She is still recovering. At an unusually fast rate, but they haven’t just flat out healed her. Probably for the very reason you mentioned. I am sure she would be happy to see you.”
“Yes. I will go tomorrow.”
Pam closed her eyes for a moment. So much had changed.
Once she would have done anything to kill the boredom that he little town seemed to be so very full of. Drugs had seemed stupid to her. So she had tried to make up for the lack of excitement by watching everything and trying to get people to see what was really going on.
Only now her life was getting to be exciting. Now she wanted just a little boredom. More if it would just mean her family would love her again. If she could go back to being normal.
But life didn’t work that way. And Pam was fully aware of it. So she opened her still dry eyes and finished her coffee. And started making plans for tomorrow.
Probably visit Tess in the morning after she had another battery of blood tests. She should bring flowers.
“Can you take me home?”
Adam smiled sympathetically, “Sure, let’s go.”
And they left.
-------
Alex-
“Khivar? I will never help you!”
“So, I see you’ve heard of me. I assure you I do not eat babies for breakfast. Nor did I kill your friends. I will admit I took full opportunity that their deaths afforded me. And I wasn’t sorry that Zan and Rath died. But I would never have hurt Vilandra. Not like that. I loved her.”
“You had your chance, you had your opportunity. Power or love. And you chose power.”
Khivar smiled sardonically. “It is so ironic, really. Had I chosen to go with Vilandra that night everything could be so different. I could be one of your friends and Michael the enemy. Oh, yes, Rath had ambitions. Always had and probably always will. But willing to work through the system.” He shook his head. “You’ve only seen part of the story. But clearing my name is not why I am here. I don’t really care what you think of me.”
“Stupid for someone looking to cut a deal.”
“Enlightened self-interest. You will help me because you will want to. Just like I want to help you.”
“I will not betray my friends.”
“Oh, I am aware of that. Trust me I have my people watching your every move.”
The girl clinging to him looked at Khivar closely. “He’s not the real Khivar. He’s an, um I guess the closest word would be an avatar. His mind or a recreated echo of his mind, controlling a host. Probably a dead host if he’s been here a long time. It’s not good for a body to be dominated too long.”
“Well, well, the girl speaks. How did you find out that bit of information?”
“Its true isn’t it? And it’s just as hard for you to lie here as it is Alex. Be careful what you agree to here, Alex. Deals made in the Balance tend to be binding.” Turning to Khivar, “My father was involved with the Gremlins. He used avatars to trade with them.”
Khivar looked around the room, still dark and full of pillars. Full of Pods. “This is for them, isn’t it? Oh, Vi….. You never let anything go.” He closed his eyes and when he opened them, there were tears. “You are a lucky man, Alex Whitman. She is bound as tightly to you as she ever was to me.”
“Your spies tell you that?”
Again the sardonic grin, “I am one of your doctors. I left your room a half hour ago. She told me all about you. Part of her still recognizes me, still cares for me.”
Alex needed to be out of her now. If Khivar was truly near Isabel, then he could…. No, he needed to warn his friends. He needed to……
He reached deep inside of himself. And felt as things began to move inside of him, as he strained against himself, against his own limitations.
He flickered for a moment, and just for a moment he felt Isabel, felt that connection strengthen. And for a moment he felt contact with her.
He heard, as if coming from miles away, “Alex? Are you really there, Alex?”
And then it went away. All of it went away and he was back in the room with the columns.
Khivar smiled at him again, and clapped. “Bravo, young man. I am impressed. It is already progressing through you. You have already made peace with the Balance. Unfortunately something cut your way back.”
“Let me go to her! Or I swear I will….”
“Will do what? It is possible that someday you will be quite formidable. The first human with a natural connection to the Balance. Or not. Hard to say. But right now, you have no real strength.” He smiled. “I like you species. You could almost be Taran. Besides I’m not the one who locked you out. I can let you back in, can give you back your life. But before I do so I need to be sure that you will work with me.“ He placed his hands up, “Not for me. I am sure you would only say that you would rather die. And given the little I’ve learned about you, you might at that. No, what I am asking you to do will help you as much as me.”
Alex stared at the man, rage clearly stamped across his face. How he wanted to smash this self righteous arrogant bastard….. “I promise nothing.”
“But you will listen. Excellent. It is really all I ask. Now, first I need you to watch Isabel.”
“Why? If you’ve spent any time learning from your spies you know I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her.”
“Oh, of that I have no doubt. I just want you to protect her. To watch her and make sure she doesn’t do something impossibly gallant that might get her killed. Vilandra was never stupid, and I doubt Isabel is either. But she can be a little emotional and reckless. I just want you to take care of her.”
Alex stared at Khivar with suspicious eyes. Why would he care?
“Because I love her. And no I can’t read you thoughts, but you truly do need to learn to control your facial reactions if you are going to be involved in politics. Which if you stay with her, you will be.”
Alex just shook his head.
Khivar continued, “Second, I want you to watch Liz Parker. There is something not right with her. She is something….. I’m not sure how to describe it. She’s something that shouldn’t exist. A dangerous mix.”
“She is my friend.”
“And I am not telling you to harm her. Just watch her and make sure she doesn’t start doing… um, evil things.”
“Liz Parker is not evil!”
“Not yet, and hopefully not ever. But she was in the hospital earlier in the evening….. I’ve never felt the like. Never. I’ve read about it, but never seen it. Tell Isabel that Liz might be part Dadarion. She might recognize it, it was a big worry of Vilandra’s”
The girl in Alex’s arms stiffened and cried out in fear at Khivar’s mention of the Dardarion. “What are you talking about?”
Khivar’s gaze remained steady and the sardonic grin twisting to a smirk. “Your good friend, Tess, who is also in the hospital by the way. Oh, no, don’t worry she will be fine. She’s not a patient of mine like you are, but she will be taken care of.” He sighed, “Where was I, oh, yes, she is Mithar. They are supposedly the good remnants of an enemy group that had the same powers only much less in the way of ethics. Think hard what kind of evil someone with mind control would do….”
“Like your pawn Ana?”
“She has a job to do. She obviously made a mistake in what she did to Liz or the Troy girl, but on the whole…..” He cocked his head sideways, “No. You’re probably right about her. Well, everyone makes mistakes.”
“Mistakes! The woman almost destroyed my friend!”
Khivar shrugged, “All is fair in love and war, isn’t that the saying?” He nodded to himself, “Well you kids are involved in a war whether you realize it or not. And I can tell you that someday my people will invade yours. It will happen. It will be stupid, lots of people will get killed for no reason at enormous expense. Even if they win it will still be a loss. Trust me interstellar conquest is not what it is cut out to be.”
“But I thought you…..”
“Look, I have my plate full on Antar. Plus I have forces on two other worlds. Oh, thank Max will you. Apparently he talked sense into everyone save the Cathians. Nicholas on the other hand, well if you folks kill him, you will be doing me a good turn. I have no real intention to invade Earth, not so long as I am assured that Max is not going to invade me. And seeing that only two of these pods are active…. Well it will take at least a dozen or so years before this army is ready to march. I’ll probably be dead by then.”
Alex shook his head. This man was nothing like he had imagined Khivar would be like.
Khivar turned away and looked off into the distance. “Those things that I’ve asked you to do, well they’re just common sense. But it would make me feel better if someone close to them would watch those two. There is one last request.”
“I haven’t agreed to any of it.”
“I know. I will give you some time to think about it. That and knowing that I am amongst your friends, well…..”
“Okay, spit it out.”
“The body I wear, my host….. He has a son. A very sick son. I would ask you to intercede with Max to heal him. He healed those children in Phoenix! Surely he can heal on more.” Khivar’s voice was thick with emotion at the last.
“I….”
“I will return.”
And Khivar was gone.
--------
Maria-
It was late when Maria finally got home. Her mother was lying on the couch, a blanket draped across her. Mrs. Parker was sitting at the table with a stack of notes, still peering into the Book.
Michael had set down his papers and rushed over to greet her.
She held him tightly. Her Spaceboy. She reveled in the feel of the Bond as it rolled through them.
She looked up at him. “Cool your engines buster. I’m too tired and so are you.”
He gave her a small kiss on the forehead.
They said goodnight to the Parkers.
And went to bed.
Sure it would scandalize her mom. But what was the use pretending.
Besides, they were too tired to do anything.
Much anyway.
Thanks to everyone following along. As well as those who voted for me in the recent runnerup's for best series for IDS and best supporting for Michael. Thank you very much.
By the way, does anyone have a name I should give the girl with Alex? Feel free to PM me or let me know. I'll be naming her in the next part.
chanks_girl- Thanks. There is also the question of what Alex can provide to Khivar as well. That is covered in this part.
As to Kyle and Isabel, well Kyle knows that Tess was in the wrong, but he has worked with Isabel a lot in this story. He does not want her as an enemy. And yeah, what Tess has done is a lot worse. They haven't even touched her use of Valerium or, yeah, Tess has a lot to make up for.
AvalonRose- Thanks. Lots of changes. And they aren't finished. They all need to learn to hold together or they are going to suffer the lack of trust. Tess has a lot to do to earn that trust in particular, and Isabel has a lot of reasons to dislike her.
RhondaAnn- Pam is only seeing her from the outside, and from that vision it would seem that not much has changed. All of the characters have had a lot of major things happen to them and around them. Maria and Liz perhaps the most.
Liz hasn't completely noticed what she's doing. But she's very powerful and her powers are finally fully developing. And she has little to no control yet over the new batch.
DeDe PR- Thanks.
keepsmiling7 Thanks. Liz has every reason to be frightened. As you will see in a couple of parts.
Liz Parker Evans- Thanks. They are cringing because she is afraid of herself.
Disclaimer- Roswell is not mine and no infringement is intended.
Redemption Part 3
Richard-
Richard Williams was staring out at the seascape, trying to figure out exactly why he was here. Why did he care about resurrecting an old Antaran Protector for Aeron?
Sure, Richard’s original Mithar family had served the Mitharos House for generations. But even there, he himself had never served them. They had been crushed by Khivar and his Skin thugs. So while there was loyalty of a sort there, surely it wasn’t enough for him to drag himself halfway across the continent to find this damaged Protector.
Those kids from Roswell. That is what this is about. Making him remember. Remember his former life and the mission he had been sent on all those years ago. A mission that had failed utterly, one that likely the original commanders of which were likely all dead.
He certainly had never received another communication. And outside of some Skin hunting on Earth, he had kept his alien activities minimal.
After all, he was essentially human now. He had a family to raise and protect. Only now even the youngest was taking her steps away from the nest. And he was alone.
Was that all it was? That he was alone and so now he felt free to go gallivanting off on alien themed adventures? A weird sort of midlife crisis?
He looked along the deck and saw her, saw Aeron staring out into the sea. She was like and unlike her sister Tess. Softer somehow. More compassionate.
He watched as another figure crept out along the deck towards her. Sean.
Richard couldn’t help but smile. Young love. Beautiful in all its foolishness.
Richard heard a footfall behind him. One of the crew.
“Sir?”
“Yes.”
“We’ve found something. The Captain said to bring you at once.”
“Very well. If you can send someone to fetch Miss Harding and Mr. Deluca as well please.”
“Yes, sir.” He raised a walkie up and told someone to fetch the others and then lead Richard to where the Captain and some of his crew stood near the bow of the ship.
One of the men was dragging something over the side.
A body. A female body draped only in a metal network of chains.
That would have been note worthy enough. Except the body was glowing with a soft golden light.
He heard Aeron’s soft voice ask, “What is going on?”
Richard turned to face her, “We have found her. We have found your Protector.”
--------
Max-
Max looked deeply into Liz’s troubled eyes. “Liz, what is wrong?”
She looked at him, drinking him in almost desperately. “I feel like I am losing myself, Max. Tonight, what I learned tonight…..”
Max gave her a little peck on the cheek, “It will all be okay, together we will make it okay.”
Liz’s shaking subsided and she took a deep breath. “I have a Seal, Max.”
“Of course, I lent you mine to save Tess…..”
Liz shook her head. “Max, you have that back. And I don’t think I could have done what I did without it. But it awakened something inside of me, and tonight. Tonight…..”
“Liz, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me.”
“Tonight, my dad took me to a favorite spot of my mother’s. Her secret safe place. A place that apparently her friends often had a hard time finding if she did not lead them there.”
“Liz?”
“It is the hill your Pod Chamber is hidden in. And, Max, I had a flash. It was where I was conceived. My mother knew something, made some sort of connection and…. And I have no clue what it is, only that I feel like something has awakened in me. And I am scared Max, I am frightened. Because there’s something else in me that wants that power. Something, something evil.”
“Liz, I can’t ever see you as being evil.”
“What about Emily? Can you see her as being evil? Because she’s just as much me as I am. Just a different set of memories and priorities.”
“But she is not you and I thought we took care of her.”
Liz shook her head, “No. She is still there. Just a part of me, but always a part of me.”
Max used his powers to connect to her and he found…. Something other than what he expected. She was inexorably linked to something of vast power. Something familiar.
He should know, he had one too.
Liz Parker was linked to the Granilith the same way he was. Only there was a difference. Because despite their love, despite all their shared bond, there was a part of him that was alien. His soul was Taran, the soul of Zan Tarenon.
And despite her power, despite all the changes that had been wrought in her, Liz was still inextricably human.
The bond to the Granolith was tied completely to the part of him that was alien and to Liz in parts of her that were irreducibly human. It was different and separate.
Liz was tied to the Granolith as much as he was. But if his tie made him King of Antar….
What did Liz’s make Liz?
Max continued to talk to Liz, making her laugh and calm down. But inside, Max was himself anything but calm.
Because now he was wondering.
What was Liz Parker?
--------
Pam
Pam just sat there watching not just Liz and Max, but also the other people in the room. Whatever he was saying to her was calming her down.
Which seemed to be relieving some of the tension in the room.
She was so busy watching she didn’t notice Adam walk up to their table.
“So that is Liz Parked, daughter of Rose. My God, if she was anywhere near as strong as Liz is, no wonder….”
Pam looked over at Adam. He was still his handsome self. But his focus was solely on Liz. And his study was making her nervous. Like he was studying a dangerous animal.
“What is it?”
“Can’t you feel it? She is projecting massive amounts of empathy around. It is affecting everyone, even though most don’t consciously realize it.”
“I felt her when she entered the building.”
“Yes. Good,” He turned to look at her. “Any twinges to push you to do anything, and outside feelings trying to push you to some action.”
“No, but I was scared.” Truth was she was still scared. Too much of her life was changing much too fast.
She watched as Maria and Mr. Parker came and claimed Liz.
Pam tried not to visibly relax when Liz left. But she did note that she was not the only one. She looked over at Max.
A worried Max. Not that rare of a sight, really. But he was worried about Liz.
Why? For all she could see they were as lovey dovey as they had ever been last year. More so if anything. Liz would never have stood up to her critics so visibly as she had recently. People had been shocked how swiftly and thoroughly she had dealt with Vanessa.
In fact that day marked a change in all of them.
“Good. Pam, I have to tell you that half of what you will be providing Far Sight will be your insight into these people. They are very powerful, more so that I believe you are aware. More so that I thought possible. But you know them, and with your help, maybe we can find out if they mean harm.”
“Harm? What are you talking about? You are right, I know these people. I can’t say I always got along with them. But you can’t honestly think they are a danger to everyone around them. I mean the thought of Maria or Liz or Alex being a threat, it’s just silly.”
“I notice you didn’t mention the others.”
“The Czechs. Yeah. Well, if you leave them alone, basically don’t screw with them, you are fine. Isabel has her quirks, but she’s a good person no matter how hard she tries to hide it. She’s got a temper, though. Max….. Max is the sort of person who if you ran over with your car would be worried about the damage he had done to your paint job. Nice doesn’t even come into it. He’s also got a temper, and well is a bit controlling at times. Probably doesn’t even realize it, but you would be surprised the number of times people do what he tells them to do.”
“You didn’t mention Michael, Tess, or Kyle.”
Pam looked at him. “Don’t screw with Michael. Pretty much that simple. Bad things happen if you do. In fact, its best to not step on the toes of anyone he likes. I’ve never seen him do anything, but…. Bad things happen.”
“Bad things?” Adam looked worried.
“Nothing like that. He wouldn’t hurt you. Not unless you seriously hurt one he loves. But, let me give you an example. Some of Kyle’s jock friends knocked Max around a little. They started to have… accidents. Nothing too bad, but Kyle had to have his locker torn open. It had been sealed somehow.”
“Molecular manipulation. He probably has alien ties then.” He nodded to himself. “And Tess or Kyle?”
“Well they’re friends with them and all, but their not really a core part of the group.”
“Tess is a hybrid. We are fairly sure of that. We are running some fairly sophisticated tests to determine exactly what was changed but…..”
“Tess is, is one of them?” Pam blinked her eyes a moment, trying to readjust to that notion that one of her close friends was non-human. Sure, she had a good relationship with Isabel, but they weren’t really friends. Not like she had become with Tess.
This would take some getting used to.
“We’re not sure about Kyle. We’ve gotten some DNA and hair samples from him and they’re being analyzed now.”
“He started getting new agey after last year. Changed quite a bit over the summer. Are they, are they taking us over one by one? Evil pod people?”
“No. Not so far as we can tell. Something similar happened to Alicia…. Well its not well known, but the Chief’s granddaughter has Alpha class gifts. I’ll be working to train her. As much as I can. She’s stronger than I am.” He had a wry grin, “We’re going to have to change out measurement table for your friends. Hopefully we can get at least one of them to join us. It will take some getting used to be posted out her in Roswell.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’ll give me more an opportunity to practice, less distractions.”
“Yeah, if there is one thing we have it’s less distractions than New York. It’s boring.”
“Not anymore.” Adam took a sip of his coffee. “Speaking of which, you are friends with Tess?”
“Yes. Or I was, I mean is it safe?”
“Pam, if she wanted to hurt you she probably already would have. We need to watch them, make sure they’re safe. But they’ve been pretty quit so far.” Adam shook his head, “No, I just think you should visit her tomorrow. She’s here, in the hospital.”
“Is she okay?”
“She was shot twice and involved in an accident. Doctors were pretty sure she was not going to make it, but….”
“She got better. I wonder how they are going to hide this? I mean it is one thing to heal a ward of children when no one is looking, but on the operating table?”
“They haven’t healed her like that. She is still recovering. At an unusually fast rate, but they haven’t just flat out healed her. Probably for the very reason you mentioned. I am sure she would be happy to see you.”
“Yes. I will go tomorrow.”
Pam closed her eyes for a moment. So much had changed.
Once she would have done anything to kill the boredom that he little town seemed to be so very full of. Drugs had seemed stupid to her. So she had tried to make up for the lack of excitement by watching everything and trying to get people to see what was really going on.
Only now her life was getting to be exciting. Now she wanted just a little boredom. More if it would just mean her family would love her again. If she could go back to being normal.
But life didn’t work that way. And Pam was fully aware of it. So she opened her still dry eyes and finished her coffee. And started making plans for tomorrow.
Probably visit Tess in the morning after she had another battery of blood tests. She should bring flowers.
“Can you take me home?”
Adam smiled sympathetically, “Sure, let’s go.”
And they left.
-------
Alex-
“Khivar? I will never help you!”
“So, I see you’ve heard of me. I assure you I do not eat babies for breakfast. Nor did I kill your friends. I will admit I took full opportunity that their deaths afforded me. And I wasn’t sorry that Zan and Rath died. But I would never have hurt Vilandra. Not like that. I loved her.”
“You had your chance, you had your opportunity. Power or love. And you chose power.”
Khivar smiled sardonically. “It is so ironic, really. Had I chosen to go with Vilandra that night everything could be so different. I could be one of your friends and Michael the enemy. Oh, yes, Rath had ambitions. Always had and probably always will. But willing to work through the system.” He shook his head. “You’ve only seen part of the story. But clearing my name is not why I am here. I don’t really care what you think of me.”
“Stupid for someone looking to cut a deal.”
“Enlightened self-interest. You will help me because you will want to. Just like I want to help you.”
“I will not betray my friends.”
“Oh, I am aware of that. Trust me I have my people watching your every move.”
The girl clinging to him looked at Khivar closely. “He’s not the real Khivar. He’s an, um I guess the closest word would be an avatar. His mind or a recreated echo of his mind, controlling a host. Probably a dead host if he’s been here a long time. It’s not good for a body to be dominated too long.”
“Well, well, the girl speaks. How did you find out that bit of information?”
“Its true isn’t it? And it’s just as hard for you to lie here as it is Alex. Be careful what you agree to here, Alex. Deals made in the Balance tend to be binding.” Turning to Khivar, “My father was involved with the Gremlins. He used avatars to trade with them.”
Khivar looked around the room, still dark and full of pillars. Full of Pods. “This is for them, isn’t it? Oh, Vi….. You never let anything go.” He closed his eyes and when he opened them, there were tears. “You are a lucky man, Alex Whitman. She is bound as tightly to you as she ever was to me.”
“Your spies tell you that?”
Again the sardonic grin, “I am one of your doctors. I left your room a half hour ago. She told me all about you. Part of her still recognizes me, still cares for me.”
Alex needed to be out of her now. If Khivar was truly near Isabel, then he could…. No, he needed to warn his friends. He needed to……
He reached deep inside of himself. And felt as things began to move inside of him, as he strained against himself, against his own limitations.
He flickered for a moment, and just for a moment he felt Isabel, felt that connection strengthen. And for a moment he felt contact with her.
He heard, as if coming from miles away, “Alex? Are you really there, Alex?”
And then it went away. All of it went away and he was back in the room with the columns.
Khivar smiled at him again, and clapped. “Bravo, young man. I am impressed. It is already progressing through you. You have already made peace with the Balance. Unfortunately something cut your way back.”
“Let me go to her! Or I swear I will….”
“Will do what? It is possible that someday you will be quite formidable. The first human with a natural connection to the Balance. Or not. Hard to say. But right now, you have no real strength.” He smiled. “I like you species. You could almost be Taran. Besides I’m not the one who locked you out. I can let you back in, can give you back your life. But before I do so I need to be sure that you will work with me.“ He placed his hands up, “Not for me. I am sure you would only say that you would rather die. And given the little I’ve learned about you, you might at that. No, what I am asking you to do will help you as much as me.”
Alex stared at the man, rage clearly stamped across his face. How he wanted to smash this self righteous arrogant bastard….. “I promise nothing.”
“But you will listen. Excellent. It is really all I ask. Now, first I need you to watch Isabel.”
“Why? If you’ve spent any time learning from your spies you know I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her.”
“Oh, of that I have no doubt. I just want you to protect her. To watch her and make sure she doesn’t do something impossibly gallant that might get her killed. Vilandra was never stupid, and I doubt Isabel is either. But she can be a little emotional and reckless. I just want you to take care of her.”
Alex stared at Khivar with suspicious eyes. Why would he care?
“Because I love her. And no I can’t read you thoughts, but you truly do need to learn to control your facial reactions if you are going to be involved in politics. Which if you stay with her, you will be.”
Alex just shook his head.
Khivar continued, “Second, I want you to watch Liz Parker. There is something not right with her. She is something….. I’m not sure how to describe it. She’s something that shouldn’t exist. A dangerous mix.”
“She is my friend.”
“And I am not telling you to harm her. Just watch her and make sure she doesn’t start doing… um, evil things.”
“Liz Parker is not evil!”
“Not yet, and hopefully not ever. But she was in the hospital earlier in the evening….. I’ve never felt the like. Never. I’ve read about it, but never seen it. Tell Isabel that Liz might be part Dadarion. She might recognize it, it was a big worry of Vilandra’s”
The girl in Alex’s arms stiffened and cried out in fear at Khivar’s mention of the Dardarion. “What are you talking about?”
Khivar’s gaze remained steady and the sardonic grin twisting to a smirk. “Your good friend, Tess, who is also in the hospital by the way. Oh, no, don’t worry she will be fine. She’s not a patient of mine like you are, but she will be taken care of.” He sighed, “Where was I, oh, yes, she is Mithar. They are supposedly the good remnants of an enemy group that had the same powers only much less in the way of ethics. Think hard what kind of evil someone with mind control would do….”
“Like your pawn Ana?”
“She has a job to do. She obviously made a mistake in what she did to Liz or the Troy girl, but on the whole…..” He cocked his head sideways, “No. You’re probably right about her. Well, everyone makes mistakes.”
“Mistakes! The woman almost destroyed my friend!”
Khivar shrugged, “All is fair in love and war, isn’t that the saying?” He nodded to himself, “Well you kids are involved in a war whether you realize it or not. And I can tell you that someday my people will invade yours. It will happen. It will be stupid, lots of people will get killed for no reason at enormous expense. Even if they win it will still be a loss. Trust me interstellar conquest is not what it is cut out to be.”
“But I thought you…..”
“Look, I have my plate full on Antar. Plus I have forces on two other worlds. Oh, thank Max will you. Apparently he talked sense into everyone save the Cathians. Nicholas on the other hand, well if you folks kill him, you will be doing me a good turn. I have no real intention to invade Earth, not so long as I am assured that Max is not going to invade me. And seeing that only two of these pods are active…. Well it will take at least a dozen or so years before this army is ready to march. I’ll probably be dead by then.”
Alex shook his head. This man was nothing like he had imagined Khivar would be like.
Khivar turned away and looked off into the distance. “Those things that I’ve asked you to do, well they’re just common sense. But it would make me feel better if someone close to them would watch those two. There is one last request.”
“I haven’t agreed to any of it.”
“I know. I will give you some time to think about it. That and knowing that I am amongst your friends, well…..”
“Okay, spit it out.”
“The body I wear, my host….. He has a son. A very sick son. I would ask you to intercede with Max to heal him. He healed those children in Phoenix! Surely he can heal on more.” Khivar’s voice was thick with emotion at the last.
“I….”
“I will return.”
And Khivar was gone.
--------
Maria-
It was late when Maria finally got home. Her mother was lying on the couch, a blanket draped across her. Mrs. Parker was sitting at the table with a stack of notes, still peering into the Book.
Michael had set down his papers and rushed over to greet her.
She held him tightly. Her Spaceboy. She reveled in the feel of the Bond as it rolled through them.
She looked up at him. “Cool your engines buster. I’m too tired and so are you.”
He gave her a small kiss on the forehead.
They said goodnight to the Parkers.
And went to bed.
Sure it would scandalize her mom. But what was the use pretending.
Besides, they were too tired to do anything.
Much anyway.
Re: IDS - Redemption (CC ALL, Teen/Mature) Part 3 - 02/03/10
Thanks again to everyone following along this story. We will get back to Alex and Aeron in the next part. this one will touch upon a little of why everyone is getting a little leery of Liz.
Thanks again.
keepsmiling7- Thanks. Liz's fear is about to jump a couple of notches. You will see why in her dream sequence. She has every right to be absolutely terrified.
chanks_girl- Thanks. Yes, you have it exactly. Khivar is looking at Alex as a partner of sorts. And so much of what he will suggest will sound so very sensible....
RhondaAnn- Thanks.
AvalonRose- Thanks. Khivar wants Liz watched. You will begin to see why after this chapter. Let us hope that Liz is able to control what is coming.
Disclaimer- Roswell is not mine and no infringement is intended.
Redemption Part 4
Liz-
Liz stared off into the desert. She wasn’t sure exactly why she was here, but she knew that she was being hunted.
And she knew that further running would not help her. No matter where she went they would find her. She could not hide forever. Who and what she was guaranteed it. Her strength drew them in.
For unlike Max she was not shielded. They could sense the Seal inside of her and they wanted her. To possess her and thereby possess the great power that was the Granolith.
Some sought her to increase their standing back home, to further their political interests amongst the Five Major Worlds. She was not the King, not the hidden and returned High King. No she was something different. Better in some ways. Something different and new. A new access point to the Granolith.
They were not the only ones hunting her. There were others. Others who wished to turn the Granolith’s mighty power against its creators. Who saw a massive opportunity to move their plans centuries, perhaps millennia ahead of schedule.
She did not know which was behind her. Whether her pursuer was human or alien or worse.
She turned as she heard a rock fall behind her.
And she moved, the bullet passing not more than inches from her head. She reached for her purse and grabbed the stun shot. She threw herself to one side, more bullets impacting.
They weren’t trying to capture her, they wanted her dead. There were four of them.
A couple of bursts of golden light and two of them were down. Her arm felt the twinge before the bullet hit her. It felt like a line of fire soaring through her arm.
The stun shot dropped. And with it her primary line of defense. Liz had never developed any powerful abilities with blasting, and likely never would. Not like Kyle or Maria.
Lines of probability spun through her mind. She was in trouble.
There was one weapon she had, one that showed some promise to save her.
Her voice.
She focused a moment and tried to make her mind shape itself into the lines of the future where she lived. She felt as her mind…. Shifted. As Emily came out.
And Liz/Emily began to laugh. She saw one of the men move toward her. Pathetic thugs. Human by the weak blue-green glow.
Easy prey.
“Shut up bitch. When I get through with you….”
“The boss just wants her dead.”
“Yeah, but I saw we should have some fun with her first, don’t you think. Look at her. Not a bad piece of ….”
Liz didn’t let him finish. “Drop your weapons.”
Her voice was quiet but it seemed to reverberate somehow. Almost as if her voice echoed in the open air. The thugs reacted as if shot themselves, both staggering back under Liz’s will.
The guns hit the ground.
One of them was divesting himself of other tools and weapons, tears in his eyes. The other, the one closest to her was resisting. “You can’t do this, not to me, you witch.”
She of course saw what he was about to do, countless plans made for each possibility. The man seemed to be moving so very slowly as he pulled out a knife and ran at her.
Now if Liz had any training in hand to hand, she would have demolished the guy. The difference between their reaction times, the fact she could literally see what he would do before he had even decided to do it….. It was too much of a disparity.
But the truth was, Liz didn’t really know how to fight. Emily had some combat routines placed in her, but not for this particular instance. Even those were just implanted memories, without any muscle memory. Even with her abilities she might still lose. A physical fight.
But Ana had changed her. Had changed her greatly and in ways not foreseen. The only ones who had an inkling of what Liz/Emily might be capable of were the buried minds inside of the hybrids and Khivar’s human avatar.
None of them had warned Liz. None of them truly knew how to warn Liz what she was capable of doing. Of the potential evil that lurked inside of her.
She was just running on instinct, acting to save her life. Maybe that would be enough to save her soul from the darkness that lurked within. For this was one of those moments. Those rare moments that act like a fulcrum upon which the future teetered.
No in a physical fight, even with her advantages she would lose. And with her powers of precognition she knew it, and so she used talents she didn’t even realize she had.
She attacked his soul.
Her hand met the arm he swung at her and tried to hold it from her body. Both of them fell to the ground, with him on top, the knife slowly moving closer to her neck.
Except of course the battle had already been won.
By Emily.
Liz/Emily felt as raw power began to soar through her. Filling her with a sense of warmth and exaltation. Her cobalt blue eyes met the suddenly terrified thugs. Filaments of energy laced into him and pulled. Tore and absorbed all the energy that supported his mind. His cells worked overtime to provide her energy, his body heating up above her.
And his soul. She was absorbing all the essence that had made him who he was. Just the energy that had supported it, leaving the framework, the actual himness of who he had been behind.
Empty and bereft.
He disintegrated above her. His clothes falling down, now empty.
The knife might have been a danger, but with the power she had absorbed it was no difficulty moving it safely away.
The same could be said with the bullet wound. It was so easy to fix with all the power that filled her now.
And she felt good, with a rightness and internal glow that beat any orgasm she’d ever had.
She was trembling slightly as she stood up. She felt brand new. And wonderful.
A momentary twinge of conscience came to her. She had just destroyed someone. More than killed him. She had destroyed and eaten his soul.
And it had felt glorious. Surely something that wonderful could not be wrong or evil. He had after all tried to kill her.
In fact there were three others who had tried the same. How would it feel if she had them as well, if the power that they weren’t even using was inside of her.
They were wasting their lives, wasting their souls. She could do so much good as she was now, she knew it. She could…..
Liz spent several moments justifying her new hunger before made herself believe that it was the right thing to do.
And she consumed them.
Liz awoke to the sound of her own screams and the soft feel of her mother’s arms cradling her.
“There, there, its okay. It’s all okay….”
Liz looked up at her mother, at the woman who had raised her. Had they ever wondered if Rose’s legacy would live on? If she would one day…..
But no. That dream had been something more. Something terrible.
Something real.
For through her pajamas, through her mother’s thin robe, Liz could feel something different.
Liz could feel her mother’s soul.
And deep down, there was a tiny part of her that wondered what it would taste like…..
It took a long time for Liz to calm down.
--------
Maria-
Maria realized immediately that she was sleeping. That she was simply in a dream.
It was the playground where she had met with Stephanie so many times.
Only this time. For the very first time, the little girl wasn’t there.
Or was she….
“Mommy!” came a faint wail.
It seemed to come from so far away. So very far away and from right her at the same moment.
Maria closed her eyes and focused on the bond she shared with the little dream girl. An after image appeared in her minds eye. The little girl was there at the playground. And she knew that Maria was there as well.
But to each other they might as well be ghosts.
There was a wall between them. An invisible wall, but harder than diamond and stronger than steel. And built of something meant to last forever.
The love she shared with Michael. The wall was made of it.
She needed to see the little girl, to see the being she thought of as her daughter. But even if she could breech this wall, she wasn’t sure she could bring herself to.
Surely there was a door. Or gate. Or something. A way to get outside this protected space that he had made for her.
So she reached for him. Reached for her true love, who lay not more than a few layers of fabric away from her.
But she did not reach with her hands, or at least not with her physical hands. Somehow she pulled a slightly confused Michael out of his current dream.
Michael just stared at her confusedly.
Maria looked at him, he looked a little battered and worse for wear. “I hope I wasn’t disturbing anything?”
Michael shook his head, “Rath lost that battle. A nasty little engagement that I am more than happy to escape. Just because I eventually won that war, didn’t mean I won every battle.” He began to explain more details of an ancient engagement on Antar than anyone could possibly care for.
Maria just looked at him. He had changed to. More of who he had been was seeping through. Those hours in the Balance had effected him, blurring the lines between Rath and Michael.
Both of whom loved her, so at least she had that. She did not know if this was going to be a problem somewhere down the line, any more than the changes in her might cause trouble.
Maria nodded to herself. She needed to talk to her mom. Or better yet, to Mrs. Parker. Because while she wanted to know as much as she could about men, she also wanted to know how to keep a relationship alive.
And that was one area her own mother was deficient in. Maybe talk with Mrs. Evans too.
She wanted what she ahd to last, and there were so many things going on.
‘This isn’t going to be easy’ she thought. But she looked up at him, ‘It will be worth it. But first to find Stephanie.’
“Michael, I need your help. This, this defense you built for me. I needed it, but….”
“But what?”
“Is there a gate or way to get out? I want to see Stephanie.”
“Our daughter, yes. Please?” She smiled at him and widened her eyes slightly. She ran one hand along his arm.
He looked her over and a look of calculation flashed across his eyes, ending with a light smirk. “You do realize you are going to have to pay a toll, little girl.”
Maria rolled her eyes, “Just place it on my tab.”
A brief flash of disappointment flared in his eyes. He shrugged and looked around. At the playground. “Is she here?”
“Sort of. But you have us blocked off.”
“Oh. Hmm. Well, I see. This really wouldn’t be a good time then.”
“Not really.”
Michael rubbed his forehead. “It is going to take me a few moments to remember.”
Maria nodded and began to play with the swing sets. And wondered it she would meet herself here again. Would this make her vulnerable to her alternate self?
Maria shivered.
A ripple passed through the play ground. And a frightened little girl ran to her.
Maria got off the swing and held her, held her little Stephanie. A child that probably would not be born for years. But this time, this time she would indeed be born.
She looked up at Michael who stood there, hands in his pockets watching the both of them. “Michael?”
He was shaking slightly, “You have no idea how much I want this. How much I want a family with you. On Antar, it never seemed to work for me, you know? But now, here. In this dream world….. Maria, I want this to be real. I want this to be real someday, to be true.”
Maria lifted Stephanie up and walked over to Michael. “It will be. We may have to fight for it, but it will be.”
He clung to her, and to their daughter.
And a sense of purpose shot through her. This would happen. This would come to pass.
She would make sure of it.
------
Tess-
Tess lay back on her bed in the Valentis house.
It was nice to be back, if only in a dream. She had already cleaned up from her earlier dream of Kyle.
Tess smiled at the memory. Hopefully he had as pleasant and vivid dreams of her.
If Isabel ever talked to her again, Tess wanted to know how she could log in some dream time with her lover. It might not be quite as satisfying, but it certainly simplified finding an uninterruptible spot. And as safe sex went, it had to be the safest!
The Sheriff knew about her and Kyle. He was less than happy about it.
Well, his feelings seemed to be highly mixed about the whole thing. He was happy for Kyle. He was even happy for Tess. He thought of her as a daughter.
But it did complicate the living situation.
That was a situation Tess had well in hand, although she needed to talk to a few people up close and personal to make sure that it would work out.
She had confidence though.
So Tess puttered around her dream room, still certain that…..
She felt a little ripple. Someone had dropped by. And as this was Earth, and she doubted that anyone had brought one of the huge Oneirocronic Devices from Antar, that meant one person.
Isabel.
“Isabel, I am in here.”
Isabel looked shocked. “You know that I’m really here.”
“Been waiting for you.”
“Well that explains how boring a dream this is. Even Liz has better dreams than this.” Isabel said while looking around critically.
“Yes, well you chose your timing well. A half hour or so you might have gotten a more interesting show.”
“Hmmph.” Isabel leaned against the doorframe to Tess’s room. “I should go.”
“No, Isabel, please. This is a priceless opportunity.”
Isabel stood up, looked like she was about to go. And stopped. Dramatically. Of course. “What do you mean?”
“Well, we can’t kill each other here, that is one.”
“How do you know what I can do?” Isabel loomed over Tess.
“Because I read the damn Book that’s why. And while they certainly never envisioned you’d be able to do this unaided, they did mention how to protect and defend yourself if someone decided to drop by. Good chapter, you should read it when you can. How is Alex.”
“He’s the same. He won’t respond. I, I have felt him a few times in my dream walks. But nothing more.”
“And medically?”
“Medically? They don’t know. Its like he’s in an extreme trance.”
“I want to help you. He is my friend too.”
“How can any of us trust you?”
“Now that is a good question.” Tess sighed and looked away. “And it only gets worse. I haven’t even told all of you everything. But I do want to make amends, to become one of you.”
“If you want to become one of us, why did you destroy the Royal Four.”
Tess shook her head, “I don’t think I am meant to be one of you. I don’t really fit, you know. Maybe when we have absorbed everything from the Book, maybe I’ll understand more. But, I mean seriously, did you trust me before.”
Isabel looked away slightly, “I wanted to. I wanted you to be my friend, but there was always something about you. Always some sort of, of….”
“Sort of wall? That was the barrier all of you built against me. Your lack of trust. Which as it turns out was not entirely misplaced. As I was, as I was when I first came here…. I don’t really think you should have trusted me.”
“If you can say that… Can stand her and tell me that, what makes you think I would ever trust you?”
“Because I have changed. And lets be honest, I want you to be a friend. But if you aren’t I will go on. The situation we find ourselves in…. Well let’s say that we are pretty much forced to be allies. And someday I hope to be your friend, really your friend. Like I was when Alex was in Las Cruces.”
“Like when you had my lover as a mind warped pawn!”
Tess sighed. “Yes. Because that was the only time our friendship has been truly genuine. I wasn’t warping you then. Not directly. And nothing I warped Alex to do forced him to like me. And he did and I think you will find he does.”
“Do you honestly think he will trust you after all you have done?”
“Trust? Probably not, not until I have proven myself. But Isabel, I will do so. It may take me years, and we may never be friends…. But at least let’s promise not to be enemies. We both have enough already.”
“I will think about what you have said.” She turned to go.
“Wait, don’t you want me to tell you everything I have done?”
“Yes,” Isabel turned and shot a glare at her, “I want a full accounting. I want to know EVERYTHING. But not now. Not until.”
“Not until we save Alex.”
A flicker of what might remotely be called a smile flashed briefly across Isabel’s face.
And she was gone.
Tess leaned back. That went better than she had thought it might.
Assuming it had been a real dream and not just wishful thinking on her part. Tess sighed. Sighed and waited. She would be tired tomorrow, but at some point she knew that Isabel would drop into her dreams.
And she wanted to be ready.
-----
Max
Max stood facing the Granolith.
What was it anyway? Where had it come from?
He hoped that tomorrow, he would have an opportunity to take a look at the Destiny Book that was at Maria’s.
The only thing stopping him from going there now was how late it was.
He himself could not sleep. His conversation with Liz, his aknowledgement of some strange things that had been happening recently…. All of it combined to steal what little sleep he could muster.
And so here he was. Pondering this ancient machine that seemed to drive the desires of so many of his enemies. This ancient relic that his forebears had protected and been protected by.
That device whose connection to was driven through his Seal. Something that he had always thought could only exist in its full glory in the individual of one person at a time. Something Zan firmly believed in.
Something he had felt in his father. Something he had felt activate when he was the last of his direct family.
And now something also existing in a human girl. The girl that he loved.
But why? Why would Liz also have a Seal? What did it mean?
Was it even similar to his own?
How he wished he knew what that Emissary had done. He knew what his looked like. The five stars in a ‘V’ formation. Supposedly connected to the five worlds that dominated his peoples politics.
But was it? Did every Seal look the same?
So many questions. Some of which he hoped to have answered tomorrow.
He wasn’t so foolish as to expect that they would all be answered. There was no way he could be so lucky. In fact he only truly expected to have more questions after tomorrow.
But it would be nice to have a few answers for a change.
Max continued his vigil.
Thanks again.
keepsmiling7- Thanks. Liz's fear is about to jump a couple of notches. You will see why in her dream sequence. She has every right to be absolutely terrified.
chanks_girl- Thanks. Yes, you have it exactly. Khivar is looking at Alex as a partner of sorts. And so much of what he will suggest will sound so very sensible....
RhondaAnn- Thanks.
AvalonRose- Thanks. Khivar wants Liz watched. You will begin to see why after this chapter. Let us hope that Liz is able to control what is coming.
Disclaimer- Roswell is not mine and no infringement is intended.
Redemption Part 4
Liz-
Liz stared off into the desert. She wasn’t sure exactly why she was here, but she knew that she was being hunted.
And she knew that further running would not help her. No matter where she went they would find her. She could not hide forever. Who and what she was guaranteed it. Her strength drew them in.
For unlike Max she was not shielded. They could sense the Seal inside of her and they wanted her. To possess her and thereby possess the great power that was the Granolith.
Some sought her to increase their standing back home, to further their political interests amongst the Five Major Worlds. She was not the King, not the hidden and returned High King. No she was something different. Better in some ways. Something different and new. A new access point to the Granolith.
They were not the only ones hunting her. There were others. Others who wished to turn the Granolith’s mighty power against its creators. Who saw a massive opportunity to move their plans centuries, perhaps millennia ahead of schedule.
She did not know which was behind her. Whether her pursuer was human or alien or worse.
She turned as she heard a rock fall behind her.
And she moved, the bullet passing not more than inches from her head. She reached for her purse and grabbed the stun shot. She threw herself to one side, more bullets impacting.
They weren’t trying to capture her, they wanted her dead. There were four of them.
A couple of bursts of golden light and two of them were down. Her arm felt the twinge before the bullet hit her. It felt like a line of fire soaring through her arm.
The stun shot dropped. And with it her primary line of defense. Liz had never developed any powerful abilities with blasting, and likely never would. Not like Kyle or Maria.
Lines of probability spun through her mind. She was in trouble.
There was one weapon she had, one that showed some promise to save her.
Her voice.
She focused a moment and tried to make her mind shape itself into the lines of the future where she lived. She felt as her mind…. Shifted. As Emily came out.
And Liz/Emily began to laugh. She saw one of the men move toward her. Pathetic thugs. Human by the weak blue-green glow.
Easy prey.
“Shut up bitch. When I get through with you….”
“The boss just wants her dead.”
“Yeah, but I saw we should have some fun with her first, don’t you think. Look at her. Not a bad piece of ….”
Liz didn’t let him finish. “Drop your weapons.”
Her voice was quiet but it seemed to reverberate somehow. Almost as if her voice echoed in the open air. The thugs reacted as if shot themselves, both staggering back under Liz’s will.
The guns hit the ground.
One of them was divesting himself of other tools and weapons, tears in his eyes. The other, the one closest to her was resisting. “You can’t do this, not to me, you witch.”
She of course saw what he was about to do, countless plans made for each possibility. The man seemed to be moving so very slowly as he pulled out a knife and ran at her.
Now if Liz had any training in hand to hand, she would have demolished the guy. The difference between their reaction times, the fact she could literally see what he would do before he had even decided to do it….. It was too much of a disparity.
But the truth was, Liz didn’t really know how to fight. Emily had some combat routines placed in her, but not for this particular instance. Even those were just implanted memories, without any muscle memory. Even with her abilities she might still lose. A physical fight.
But Ana had changed her. Had changed her greatly and in ways not foreseen. The only ones who had an inkling of what Liz/Emily might be capable of were the buried minds inside of the hybrids and Khivar’s human avatar.
None of them had warned Liz. None of them truly knew how to warn Liz what she was capable of doing. Of the potential evil that lurked inside of her.
She was just running on instinct, acting to save her life. Maybe that would be enough to save her soul from the darkness that lurked within. For this was one of those moments. Those rare moments that act like a fulcrum upon which the future teetered.
No in a physical fight, even with her advantages she would lose. And with her powers of precognition she knew it, and so she used talents she didn’t even realize she had.
She attacked his soul.
Her hand met the arm he swung at her and tried to hold it from her body. Both of them fell to the ground, with him on top, the knife slowly moving closer to her neck.
Except of course the battle had already been won.
By Emily.
Liz/Emily felt as raw power began to soar through her. Filling her with a sense of warmth and exaltation. Her cobalt blue eyes met the suddenly terrified thugs. Filaments of energy laced into him and pulled. Tore and absorbed all the energy that supported his mind. His cells worked overtime to provide her energy, his body heating up above her.
And his soul. She was absorbing all the essence that had made him who he was. Just the energy that had supported it, leaving the framework, the actual himness of who he had been behind.
Empty and bereft.
He disintegrated above her. His clothes falling down, now empty.
The knife might have been a danger, but with the power she had absorbed it was no difficulty moving it safely away.
The same could be said with the bullet wound. It was so easy to fix with all the power that filled her now.
And she felt good, with a rightness and internal glow that beat any orgasm she’d ever had.
She was trembling slightly as she stood up. She felt brand new. And wonderful.
A momentary twinge of conscience came to her. She had just destroyed someone. More than killed him. She had destroyed and eaten his soul.
And it had felt glorious. Surely something that wonderful could not be wrong or evil. He had after all tried to kill her.
In fact there were three others who had tried the same. How would it feel if she had them as well, if the power that they weren’t even using was inside of her.
They were wasting their lives, wasting their souls. She could do so much good as she was now, she knew it. She could…..
Liz spent several moments justifying her new hunger before made herself believe that it was the right thing to do.
And she consumed them.
Liz awoke to the sound of her own screams and the soft feel of her mother’s arms cradling her.
“There, there, its okay. It’s all okay….”
Liz looked up at her mother, at the woman who had raised her. Had they ever wondered if Rose’s legacy would live on? If she would one day…..
But no. That dream had been something more. Something terrible.
Something real.
For through her pajamas, through her mother’s thin robe, Liz could feel something different.
Liz could feel her mother’s soul.
And deep down, there was a tiny part of her that wondered what it would taste like…..
It took a long time for Liz to calm down.
--------
Maria-
Maria realized immediately that she was sleeping. That she was simply in a dream.
It was the playground where she had met with Stephanie so many times.
Only this time. For the very first time, the little girl wasn’t there.
Or was she….
“Mommy!” came a faint wail.
It seemed to come from so far away. So very far away and from right her at the same moment.
Maria closed her eyes and focused on the bond she shared with the little dream girl. An after image appeared in her minds eye. The little girl was there at the playground. And she knew that Maria was there as well.
But to each other they might as well be ghosts.
There was a wall between them. An invisible wall, but harder than diamond and stronger than steel. And built of something meant to last forever.
The love she shared with Michael. The wall was made of it.
She needed to see the little girl, to see the being she thought of as her daughter. But even if she could breech this wall, she wasn’t sure she could bring herself to.
Surely there was a door. Or gate. Or something. A way to get outside this protected space that he had made for her.
So she reached for him. Reached for her true love, who lay not more than a few layers of fabric away from her.
But she did not reach with her hands, or at least not with her physical hands. Somehow she pulled a slightly confused Michael out of his current dream.
Michael just stared at her confusedly.
Maria looked at him, he looked a little battered and worse for wear. “I hope I wasn’t disturbing anything?”
Michael shook his head, “Rath lost that battle. A nasty little engagement that I am more than happy to escape. Just because I eventually won that war, didn’t mean I won every battle.” He began to explain more details of an ancient engagement on Antar than anyone could possibly care for.
Maria just looked at him. He had changed to. More of who he had been was seeping through. Those hours in the Balance had effected him, blurring the lines between Rath and Michael.
Both of whom loved her, so at least she had that. She did not know if this was going to be a problem somewhere down the line, any more than the changes in her might cause trouble.
Maria nodded to herself. She needed to talk to her mom. Or better yet, to Mrs. Parker. Because while she wanted to know as much as she could about men, she also wanted to know how to keep a relationship alive.
And that was one area her own mother was deficient in. Maybe talk with Mrs. Evans too.
She wanted what she ahd to last, and there were so many things going on.
‘This isn’t going to be easy’ she thought. But she looked up at him, ‘It will be worth it. But first to find Stephanie.’
“Michael, I need your help. This, this defense you built for me. I needed it, but….”
“But what?”
“Is there a gate or way to get out? I want to see Stephanie.”
“Our daughter, yes. Please?” She smiled at him and widened her eyes slightly. She ran one hand along his arm.
He looked her over and a look of calculation flashed across his eyes, ending with a light smirk. “You do realize you are going to have to pay a toll, little girl.”
Maria rolled her eyes, “Just place it on my tab.”
A brief flash of disappointment flared in his eyes. He shrugged and looked around. At the playground. “Is she here?”
“Sort of. But you have us blocked off.”
“Oh. Hmm. Well, I see. This really wouldn’t be a good time then.”
“Not really.”
Michael rubbed his forehead. “It is going to take me a few moments to remember.”
Maria nodded and began to play with the swing sets. And wondered it she would meet herself here again. Would this make her vulnerable to her alternate self?
Maria shivered.
A ripple passed through the play ground. And a frightened little girl ran to her.
Maria got off the swing and held her, held her little Stephanie. A child that probably would not be born for years. But this time, this time she would indeed be born.
She looked up at Michael who stood there, hands in his pockets watching the both of them. “Michael?”
He was shaking slightly, “You have no idea how much I want this. How much I want a family with you. On Antar, it never seemed to work for me, you know? But now, here. In this dream world….. Maria, I want this to be real. I want this to be real someday, to be true.”
Maria lifted Stephanie up and walked over to Michael. “It will be. We may have to fight for it, but it will be.”
He clung to her, and to their daughter.
And a sense of purpose shot through her. This would happen. This would come to pass.
She would make sure of it.
------
Tess-
Tess lay back on her bed in the Valentis house.
It was nice to be back, if only in a dream. She had already cleaned up from her earlier dream of Kyle.
Tess smiled at the memory. Hopefully he had as pleasant and vivid dreams of her.
If Isabel ever talked to her again, Tess wanted to know how she could log in some dream time with her lover. It might not be quite as satisfying, but it certainly simplified finding an uninterruptible spot. And as safe sex went, it had to be the safest!
The Sheriff knew about her and Kyle. He was less than happy about it.
Well, his feelings seemed to be highly mixed about the whole thing. He was happy for Kyle. He was even happy for Tess. He thought of her as a daughter.
But it did complicate the living situation.
That was a situation Tess had well in hand, although she needed to talk to a few people up close and personal to make sure that it would work out.
She had confidence though.
So Tess puttered around her dream room, still certain that…..
She felt a little ripple. Someone had dropped by. And as this was Earth, and she doubted that anyone had brought one of the huge Oneirocronic Devices from Antar, that meant one person.
Isabel.
“Isabel, I am in here.”
Isabel looked shocked. “You know that I’m really here.”
“Been waiting for you.”
“Well that explains how boring a dream this is. Even Liz has better dreams than this.” Isabel said while looking around critically.
“Yes, well you chose your timing well. A half hour or so you might have gotten a more interesting show.”
“Hmmph.” Isabel leaned against the doorframe to Tess’s room. “I should go.”
“No, Isabel, please. This is a priceless opportunity.”
Isabel stood up, looked like she was about to go. And stopped. Dramatically. Of course. “What do you mean?”
“Well, we can’t kill each other here, that is one.”
“How do you know what I can do?” Isabel loomed over Tess.
“Because I read the damn Book that’s why. And while they certainly never envisioned you’d be able to do this unaided, they did mention how to protect and defend yourself if someone decided to drop by. Good chapter, you should read it when you can. How is Alex.”
“He’s the same. He won’t respond. I, I have felt him a few times in my dream walks. But nothing more.”
“And medically?”
“Medically? They don’t know. Its like he’s in an extreme trance.”
“I want to help you. He is my friend too.”
“How can any of us trust you?”
“Now that is a good question.” Tess sighed and looked away. “And it only gets worse. I haven’t even told all of you everything. But I do want to make amends, to become one of you.”
“If you want to become one of us, why did you destroy the Royal Four.”
Tess shook her head, “I don’t think I am meant to be one of you. I don’t really fit, you know. Maybe when we have absorbed everything from the Book, maybe I’ll understand more. But, I mean seriously, did you trust me before.”
Isabel looked away slightly, “I wanted to. I wanted you to be my friend, but there was always something about you. Always some sort of, of….”
“Sort of wall? That was the barrier all of you built against me. Your lack of trust. Which as it turns out was not entirely misplaced. As I was, as I was when I first came here…. I don’t really think you should have trusted me.”
“If you can say that… Can stand her and tell me that, what makes you think I would ever trust you?”
“Because I have changed. And lets be honest, I want you to be a friend. But if you aren’t I will go on. The situation we find ourselves in…. Well let’s say that we are pretty much forced to be allies. And someday I hope to be your friend, really your friend. Like I was when Alex was in Las Cruces.”
“Like when you had my lover as a mind warped pawn!”
Tess sighed. “Yes. Because that was the only time our friendship has been truly genuine. I wasn’t warping you then. Not directly. And nothing I warped Alex to do forced him to like me. And he did and I think you will find he does.”
“Do you honestly think he will trust you after all you have done?”
“Trust? Probably not, not until I have proven myself. But Isabel, I will do so. It may take me years, and we may never be friends…. But at least let’s promise not to be enemies. We both have enough already.”
“I will think about what you have said.” She turned to go.
“Wait, don’t you want me to tell you everything I have done?”
“Yes,” Isabel turned and shot a glare at her, “I want a full accounting. I want to know EVERYTHING. But not now. Not until.”
“Not until we save Alex.”
A flicker of what might remotely be called a smile flashed briefly across Isabel’s face.
And she was gone.
Tess leaned back. That went better than she had thought it might.
Assuming it had been a real dream and not just wishful thinking on her part. Tess sighed. Sighed and waited. She would be tired tomorrow, but at some point she knew that Isabel would drop into her dreams.
And she wanted to be ready.
-----
Max
Max stood facing the Granolith.
What was it anyway? Where had it come from?
He hoped that tomorrow, he would have an opportunity to take a look at the Destiny Book that was at Maria’s.
The only thing stopping him from going there now was how late it was.
He himself could not sleep. His conversation with Liz, his aknowledgement of some strange things that had been happening recently…. All of it combined to steal what little sleep he could muster.
And so here he was. Pondering this ancient machine that seemed to drive the desires of so many of his enemies. This ancient relic that his forebears had protected and been protected by.
That device whose connection to was driven through his Seal. Something that he had always thought could only exist in its full glory in the individual of one person at a time. Something Zan firmly believed in.
Something he had felt in his father. Something he had felt activate when he was the last of his direct family.
And now something also existing in a human girl. The girl that he loved.
But why? Why would Liz also have a Seal? What did it mean?
Was it even similar to his own?
How he wished he knew what that Emissary had done. He knew what his looked like. The five stars in a ‘V’ formation. Supposedly connected to the five worlds that dominated his peoples politics.
But was it? Did every Seal look the same?
So many questions. Some of which he hoped to have answered tomorrow.
He wasn’t so foolish as to expect that they would all be answered. There was no way he could be so lucky. In fact he only truly expected to have more questions after tomorrow.
But it would be nice to have a few answers for a change.
Max continued his vigil.
Re: IDS - Redemption (CC ALL, Teen/Mature) Part 4 - 02/20/10
Thanks to everyone following along this story.
AvalonRose- Thanks. That was a dream so far.... except she does have the abilty to see the future, so who knows. Oh, yeah Tess has a long way to go. Things are going to get a little complicated for a while before they get better.
keepsmiling7- Thanks. Lets hope its not prophetic.....
Disclaimer- Roswell is not mine and no infringement is intended.
Redemption Part 5
Max-
Max knocked on the door to the Deluca’s house. Hopefully he wouldn’t be waking anyone, but he needed to find out what might be going on with Liz.
The more he had thought about it, the more he became worried. Because he wasn’t sure how or when that Seal had been implanted in Liz.
Surely it couldn’t be Ana? Could it be made up simply by warping what he had done to her when he had healed her. Certainly her powers had been shifted from what they would likely have been. Particularly if Kyle or Maria were any sign. Both of them seemed to have strong physical powers.
But not Liz. Liz’s powers were powerful, but subtle.
In fact one line they should actually pursue is to find out what everyone was actually capable of doing and how much of it they could manage. The time when they could keep their heads under the sand in the hopes of being ignored had gone away.
If a faction of civilians with ties to the government knew about them, how long before the actual government did so? Was it time to run? To attempt to escape from their enemies?
Somehow that simply felt… wrong. That he was stronger here, in this place than he would be on the run. That could very well change, but for now…..
The door opened. A somewhat harried Amy peeked out. “Max?”
“Um, Hi Mrs. Deluca.”
“Amy, Max. Call me Amy. Come in.” Amy lead him inside. “I take it you are here to look at those documents?”
“Yes, but also to see Maria. She was a little frazzled last night.”
“So was I, so was I. My little baby isn’t as much a little baby anymore.” Amy calls out to the kitchen, “Michael, add one more for breakfast!”
“Max, Liz or Mrs. Parker?”
“Max, but Nancy called, so have some coffee ready for her.” She turned back to Max, “I never expected my house to become a war room.”
“Thank you for all the trouble, if we are in the way….”
“No my dear, you are welcome here. We just need to find a way to make you and your friends lives safer. I don’t want to lose my daughter.”
“I will do what I can to keep her safe. So will Michael.”
“I know. But somehow its not exactly comforting. I mean do I refer to you as your Majesty now?”
Max shook his head vigorously. “No, here I am just Max. Just a kid trying to live out his life.”
“A kid with strange powers and even stranger enemies.” She sighed, “It’s just a lot to take in Max. Last night, Maria and Michael….. I used to think my worst fear would be to find them in bed together. Or Maria coming to me with the news she was pregnant….. But to see her wrapped in a.. . a cocoon-like thingy….. It just really brought it all home.”
“I’m sorry. I am sorry we’ve made it so very hard for her to have a normal life.”
“Mom, stop giving Mr. Responsibility the third degree. Truth is I like being what I am. Its scary as hell, and I really don’t know what we are all going to do. But at least we aren’t bored.”
Max nodded, “I could use a little more boredom, though Maria. Just normal teenage life for a little while. No more alien threats.”
Maria just smiled at him, “And you actually expect that? Don’t you think we should be ready for whatever happens rather than just keeping up pretending to be what we are not?”
Max just looked at the girl. Who was spending much too much time with Michael. “So we should tell the whole world? Just announce what we are and hope that no one tries to kill us.”
Maria looked at him and laughed. “No don’t be ridiculous. IF we can keep it secret we should. Its just, we should be ready. And I mean really ready if things go wrong.”
Michael set a couple of plates on the table. “Okay its getting cold. Max, yours and mine will be up in a minute.” He walked into the living room, grab a set of papers and handed them to Max. “Now, read.”
Max looked at them. They were about Zan. “But I wanted to look up something on the Granolith…..”
Michael looked at him, “Do you remember when you said that I should start reading some military theory if I really wanted to think I was some alien general. Well I listened to you Max. Sun Tzu said ‘Know the enemy and know thyself.’ We still have a way before we know the enemy, but at least we can begin to know who we are.”
“Can you recite that in its native Chinese?”
“Very funny, Maxwell, very funny. Now sit down and read. Oh, and don’t let your breakfast grow cold either.” Michael scurried off into the kitchen.
Amy was just shaking her head and Maria was beaming with pride.
Max gave Maria a pat on the shoulder and began to read.
-------
Pam-
Pam stepped back into Roswell Memorial for what felt like the millionth time. They were going to be doing a few more tests on her and the constant medical testing was making her feel like screaming.
The memory of her talk this morning with her mother didn’t help.
She didn’t know what kind of leverage her grandfather had or how he was doing it, she could feel even her mother’s dogged resistance to the family’s ostracism of her was wearing the woman down. The words coming from her mother’s tired lips had seemed so forced. And pained.
This hurt, all of this hurt!
And now she was finding that her sisters and older brother had spread tales about her to her friends in school.
Nothing specific. Just that she wasn’t stable. That there was something wrong with her. Something bad enough that Pam’s father had cast her aside.
How could she fight this? How could she fight against people that even now she loved?
It was with a sense of ironic gloom that she walked through the doors of the hospital. She picked up some flowers for what might be her last friend. Perhaps her only true friend.
Years of gossip mongering and telling tales had alienated most of those who would have been her friends. And with her reputation even slightly tarnished, most of them wouldn’t even talk to her.
Pam Troy’s life had been completely destroyed by alien interference. And her only friend was likely an alien. Adam and undoubtedly Alicia would want her to keep this friendship. To see how far she could push it, to see if they would let her in.
They wanted her to spy on the only person who might still be her friend.
Oh, they had been nice about it. Said that they meant the girl no harm. But they needed to know what was going on with them. Preferably all of them, so she was supposed to try to make friends with all of them if she could.
Pam didn’t know if that would be possible. She was acquainted with both Isabel and Maria, but she didn’t think that translated into much. Isabel in particular would probably avoid her, as she was a walking social leper at the moment.
Maria might or might not. Hard to say.
In fact Tess might even turn her away. Pam stood there and let her sense of inadequacies and self doubt pour through her. The tiny speckle of doubt in herself that was fueled by all the antagonism that she’d been facing. The slight belief that they might be right.
Maybe Grandpa was right. Maybe she was better off dead.
The voices began to whistle into her head. Stay thoughts and impressions filling her mind. All the accumulated joy and despair of those who had stood right where she stood now.
And if filled her filled her up. Started pushing the girl who called herself Pam aside, starting to erase the girl…..
With an act of will, Pam began the series of mental exercises that Adam had trained her with. Integration discipline. To know who and what she was and to separate that from outside influences.
Her eyes were still closed when she felt a familiar presence walk toward her.
Kyle Valenti. Of all of the Czechs and hangers on, only he and Alex still felt human. Kyle felt…. Stronger than he should be. But he was a nice solid blue and green. Although as she concentrated, she could feel hints of crimson laced inside of him. Part of him and yet not him. Interesting.
“Pam? What are you doing here?”
“Um, I’m here to see Tess.”
Kyle’s face spread into a grin, “Really? She’ll be so happy to see you. She’s been kind of down lately. Hey, wait here for a minute, and I’ll lead you to her room. I just need to get something.” He jogged off.
She could feel as he left the area where her sense were strongest.
A sudden worry flitted through her.
How had she recognized him? Because she had known, simply KNOWN that it had been Kyle Valenti. And while it made sense that she could do that now, how was it that she could recognize the feel of him when she hadn’t had this ability the last time she had seen him.
A variety of expressions flitted across her face. Could it be that Adam was right? That her gifts had been there the whole time. That whatever Ana had done to her had merely demolished barriers her mind had built up to protect her.
Maybe, maybe she had. It was strong in her family if Liz was any indication.
A sudden bell went off in her head. That was why Grandpa had sent her away. These gifts were infectious and not necessarily good. Her own gifts were not without peril.
The voices receded in her skull. Yes, she was not sure that she would be happy if she infected her sisters or her brother…. She shivered. Maybe this was a good thing.
Maybe if she went along with it, they would at least let her talk to them. Maybe let her visit…..
“Ok, I’m back. He, what’s wrong Pam?”
“I’m fine, really. Just family problems. Nothing that you need to worry about.”
“Things rocky at home then?”
“Yeah. Yeah you could say that.”
Kyle lead her deeper into the hospital.
-------
Liz-
Liz had the morning shift. Her dad had tried to talk her out of it, had known how little sleep she had gotten. But Liz had put a brave face on it and had soldiered on.
She was beginning to have second thoughts.
Perhaps it was just lingering remnants of that dream, but the people she was dealing with this morning felt different. Like they had changed somehow overnight.
Or that she had.
Liz had learned to damp down the flashes she got when she touched someone. That still hadn’t changed. What had changed was the sense of energy she got from them. She could almost feel like she could feel them, feel the essence that made them up.
It was starting to be a bit much. Was any of her old life going to stay? Was she ever going to be that small town girl again?
She blinked back a tear. She knew the answer.
No.
“Hey, honey, it is time for your breakfast break. Your usual oatmeal?”
Lately that hadn’t been enough for her. She nodded. She did love oatmeal though. “And maybe some fruit. And a muffin?”
“Anything for my little girl. Her sit down, and I’ll get it for you.”
She watched her dad glide across the floor. She loved her parents so much. After her shift, her mother was going to take her over to Maria’s and they would work on the Book. It was such a surprise that her mother was so enthusiastic about it all. Like pouring over ancient alien histories and advice had been something she’d been dying to do.
Her parents were weird. They were wonderful. She thanked God that she was so lucky. Because she needed them. Perhaps more so now than ever.
Her father sat down on the other end of the table. “So, having a good day so far?”
“Not bad.”
“I talked with Mrs. Castel this morning. She said that you were a wonderful young woman and that we had done a good job raising you right.”
Liz choked on her coffee. “Mrs. Castel said that?” She had been their most unpleasant customer, always grumbling how bad the service was. Except she was there almost every morning, bitter and complaining.
“The woman actually smiled at me. I didn’t know her face muscles could move like that.” He frowned at her, “Did you… do something to her, Liz?”
Liz shook her head, “Not deliberately.”
“Ok, because you need to be careful. Mr. Ibanez is not the only person who is looking for people like you. And some of them are unpleasant. Very unpleasant.” He grabbed one of her hands. “Sorry to be such a drag, but I just worry. Now more than ever.”
“I’ll be careful, Dad. I promise.”
And she would. Because she was starting to scare herself. Because when he touched her hand, she felt a part of her touch him. And memories of that dream, of that nightmare, compelled her to pull. To just pull just a little. To taste what it felt like.
That hunger for just a little taste…. It had been with her all this morning. And it had been why she had been happy to receive the flashes that she had gotten. Because each little bit had been a tiny taste. An old taste, almost stale. But still it had felt good.
How would something … fresher feel. Something live.
She ate her oatmeal and her muffin and her fruit. And while her body was satisfied, there was a tiny feeling of hunger that remained.
Just a taste. A tiny little taste. That was all that tiny voice in her head kept asking her. But just as strong was the feeling that it was wrong. That it would not be enough.
That a taste would only feed her hunger. That she would only want more.
And so Liz Parker fought against herself throughout the course of the morning. As the mistakes that Ana had wrought within Liz Parker began to take full hold.
--------
Isabel-
Isabel watched Alex sleep. She had left only briefly to shower and get a change of clothes. She had talked briefly with her parents about her plans regarding Alex.
They were engaged. And that was final.
She was willing to wait until he was done with High School before marrying him. But that was it. Her own plans for travel had been curtailed. She would spend a year at a local community college and then she would go where ever Alex went..
Most likely Las Cruces.
Although memories of the place were now tainted. She had liked the campus and the people there. Plus it was close to home.
“Good, I am still asleep. I was hoping that my timing would be good.”
Isabel looked up. There was a familiar looking man standing in the corner of the room. Isabel was not sure how he had gotten there. Not unless she had dozed off.
And he looked so very familiar. The grey at the corner of his temples, the worry lines that crossed his face. But the eyes…. She would always recognize those eyes.
Isabel stood up and took a step back. “No. This is impossible!”
“Yeah, the witch has already told her about Max, hasn’t she? I was pretty sure she’d already spilled her guts about the whole sordid affair.”
“Witch? You mean Tess?”
“Huh? Tess? You mean as in Tess Harding?”
Isabel nodded her head. She could feel two of them! How could there be two of them here ! It was impossible!
“Oh, you know I had almost forgotten that she hadn’t died yet. Wow, Tess Harding. Memories…..” He glanced at Isabel, “You already know about what she did to me?”
Isabel nodded. Another Alex. An older Alex. “How?”
“The Granolith of course. The Bitch Queen has Earth almost sewn up. It was our only hope. it’s a good thing your people made the Seal inheritable to Michael. I mean he may have been a paranoid nut for a year or two afterwards, but without his Seal I never would have made it here.”
“You have to, you have to start explaining yourself buster! I’m not even sure I believe in you! I mean your impossible, just impossible.”
“Except you know that I am not. I’m sure that the Bitch Queen dragged you through all the tedious stuff about this. The need to keep information limited. Well, I can see the point of some of it. But I do have some stock tips that you and Alex should take. And be careful, the property market is going to tank soon. Has the Dot.com bubble burst yet?”
“Alex! You are babbling and I need you to focus.”
Future Alex just smiled at her, the grin half leer. “It is amazing how little you have changed through the years. And yet I still love you and our kids.” He shook his head, “They are after all part of why I’m here. At least the versions that will live here and not on my world. If we don’t stop her now, we’ll never be able to later.”
“Stop who?”
“The Witch-Queen herself. Liz Parker.”
AvalonRose- Thanks. That was a dream so far.... except she does have the abilty to see the future, so who knows. Oh, yeah Tess has a long way to go. Things are going to get a little complicated for a while before they get better.
keepsmiling7- Thanks. Lets hope its not prophetic.....
Disclaimer- Roswell is not mine and no infringement is intended.
Redemption Part 5
Max-
Max knocked on the door to the Deluca’s house. Hopefully he wouldn’t be waking anyone, but he needed to find out what might be going on with Liz.
The more he had thought about it, the more he became worried. Because he wasn’t sure how or when that Seal had been implanted in Liz.
Surely it couldn’t be Ana? Could it be made up simply by warping what he had done to her when he had healed her. Certainly her powers had been shifted from what they would likely have been. Particularly if Kyle or Maria were any sign. Both of them seemed to have strong physical powers.
But not Liz. Liz’s powers were powerful, but subtle.
In fact one line they should actually pursue is to find out what everyone was actually capable of doing and how much of it they could manage. The time when they could keep their heads under the sand in the hopes of being ignored had gone away.
If a faction of civilians with ties to the government knew about them, how long before the actual government did so? Was it time to run? To attempt to escape from their enemies?
Somehow that simply felt… wrong. That he was stronger here, in this place than he would be on the run. That could very well change, but for now…..
The door opened. A somewhat harried Amy peeked out. “Max?”
“Um, Hi Mrs. Deluca.”
“Amy, Max. Call me Amy. Come in.” Amy lead him inside. “I take it you are here to look at those documents?”
“Yes, but also to see Maria. She was a little frazzled last night.”
“So was I, so was I. My little baby isn’t as much a little baby anymore.” Amy calls out to the kitchen, “Michael, add one more for breakfast!”
“Max, Liz or Mrs. Parker?”
“Max, but Nancy called, so have some coffee ready for her.” She turned back to Max, “I never expected my house to become a war room.”
“Thank you for all the trouble, if we are in the way….”
“No my dear, you are welcome here. We just need to find a way to make you and your friends lives safer. I don’t want to lose my daughter.”
“I will do what I can to keep her safe. So will Michael.”
“I know. But somehow its not exactly comforting. I mean do I refer to you as your Majesty now?”
Max shook his head vigorously. “No, here I am just Max. Just a kid trying to live out his life.”
“A kid with strange powers and even stranger enemies.” She sighed, “It’s just a lot to take in Max. Last night, Maria and Michael….. I used to think my worst fear would be to find them in bed together. Or Maria coming to me with the news she was pregnant….. But to see her wrapped in a.. . a cocoon-like thingy….. It just really brought it all home.”
“I’m sorry. I am sorry we’ve made it so very hard for her to have a normal life.”
“Mom, stop giving Mr. Responsibility the third degree. Truth is I like being what I am. Its scary as hell, and I really don’t know what we are all going to do. But at least we aren’t bored.”
Max nodded, “I could use a little more boredom, though Maria. Just normal teenage life for a little while. No more alien threats.”
Maria just smiled at him, “And you actually expect that? Don’t you think we should be ready for whatever happens rather than just keeping up pretending to be what we are not?”
Max just looked at the girl. Who was spending much too much time with Michael. “So we should tell the whole world? Just announce what we are and hope that no one tries to kill us.”
Maria looked at him and laughed. “No don’t be ridiculous. IF we can keep it secret we should. Its just, we should be ready. And I mean really ready if things go wrong.”
Michael set a couple of plates on the table. “Okay its getting cold. Max, yours and mine will be up in a minute.” He walked into the living room, grab a set of papers and handed them to Max. “Now, read.”
Max looked at them. They were about Zan. “But I wanted to look up something on the Granolith…..”
Michael looked at him, “Do you remember when you said that I should start reading some military theory if I really wanted to think I was some alien general. Well I listened to you Max. Sun Tzu said ‘Know the enemy and know thyself.’ We still have a way before we know the enemy, but at least we can begin to know who we are.”
“Can you recite that in its native Chinese?”
“Very funny, Maxwell, very funny. Now sit down and read. Oh, and don’t let your breakfast grow cold either.” Michael scurried off into the kitchen.
Amy was just shaking her head and Maria was beaming with pride.
Max gave Maria a pat on the shoulder and began to read.
-------
Pam-
Pam stepped back into Roswell Memorial for what felt like the millionth time. They were going to be doing a few more tests on her and the constant medical testing was making her feel like screaming.
The memory of her talk this morning with her mother didn’t help.
She didn’t know what kind of leverage her grandfather had or how he was doing it, she could feel even her mother’s dogged resistance to the family’s ostracism of her was wearing the woman down. The words coming from her mother’s tired lips had seemed so forced. And pained.
This hurt, all of this hurt!
And now she was finding that her sisters and older brother had spread tales about her to her friends in school.
Nothing specific. Just that she wasn’t stable. That there was something wrong with her. Something bad enough that Pam’s father had cast her aside.
How could she fight this? How could she fight against people that even now she loved?
It was with a sense of ironic gloom that she walked through the doors of the hospital. She picked up some flowers for what might be her last friend. Perhaps her only true friend.
Years of gossip mongering and telling tales had alienated most of those who would have been her friends. And with her reputation even slightly tarnished, most of them wouldn’t even talk to her.
Pam Troy’s life had been completely destroyed by alien interference. And her only friend was likely an alien. Adam and undoubtedly Alicia would want her to keep this friendship. To see how far she could push it, to see if they would let her in.
They wanted her to spy on the only person who might still be her friend.
Oh, they had been nice about it. Said that they meant the girl no harm. But they needed to know what was going on with them. Preferably all of them, so she was supposed to try to make friends with all of them if she could.
Pam didn’t know if that would be possible. She was acquainted with both Isabel and Maria, but she didn’t think that translated into much. Isabel in particular would probably avoid her, as she was a walking social leper at the moment.
Maria might or might not. Hard to say.
In fact Tess might even turn her away. Pam stood there and let her sense of inadequacies and self doubt pour through her. The tiny speckle of doubt in herself that was fueled by all the antagonism that she’d been facing. The slight belief that they might be right.
Maybe Grandpa was right. Maybe she was better off dead.
The voices began to whistle into her head. Stay thoughts and impressions filling her mind. All the accumulated joy and despair of those who had stood right where she stood now.
And if filled her filled her up. Started pushing the girl who called herself Pam aside, starting to erase the girl…..
With an act of will, Pam began the series of mental exercises that Adam had trained her with. Integration discipline. To know who and what she was and to separate that from outside influences.
Her eyes were still closed when she felt a familiar presence walk toward her.
Kyle Valenti. Of all of the Czechs and hangers on, only he and Alex still felt human. Kyle felt…. Stronger than he should be. But he was a nice solid blue and green. Although as she concentrated, she could feel hints of crimson laced inside of him. Part of him and yet not him. Interesting.
“Pam? What are you doing here?”
“Um, I’m here to see Tess.”
Kyle’s face spread into a grin, “Really? She’ll be so happy to see you. She’s been kind of down lately. Hey, wait here for a minute, and I’ll lead you to her room. I just need to get something.” He jogged off.
She could feel as he left the area where her sense were strongest.
A sudden worry flitted through her.
How had she recognized him? Because she had known, simply KNOWN that it had been Kyle Valenti. And while it made sense that she could do that now, how was it that she could recognize the feel of him when she hadn’t had this ability the last time she had seen him.
A variety of expressions flitted across her face. Could it be that Adam was right? That her gifts had been there the whole time. That whatever Ana had done to her had merely demolished barriers her mind had built up to protect her.
Maybe, maybe she had. It was strong in her family if Liz was any indication.
A sudden bell went off in her head. That was why Grandpa had sent her away. These gifts were infectious and not necessarily good. Her own gifts were not without peril.
The voices receded in her skull. Yes, she was not sure that she would be happy if she infected her sisters or her brother…. She shivered. Maybe this was a good thing.
Maybe if she went along with it, they would at least let her talk to them. Maybe let her visit…..
“Ok, I’m back. He, what’s wrong Pam?”
“I’m fine, really. Just family problems. Nothing that you need to worry about.”
“Things rocky at home then?”
“Yeah. Yeah you could say that.”
Kyle lead her deeper into the hospital.
-------
Liz-
Liz had the morning shift. Her dad had tried to talk her out of it, had known how little sleep she had gotten. But Liz had put a brave face on it and had soldiered on.
She was beginning to have second thoughts.
Perhaps it was just lingering remnants of that dream, but the people she was dealing with this morning felt different. Like they had changed somehow overnight.
Or that she had.
Liz had learned to damp down the flashes she got when she touched someone. That still hadn’t changed. What had changed was the sense of energy she got from them. She could almost feel like she could feel them, feel the essence that made them up.
It was starting to be a bit much. Was any of her old life going to stay? Was she ever going to be that small town girl again?
She blinked back a tear. She knew the answer.
No.
“Hey, honey, it is time for your breakfast break. Your usual oatmeal?”
Lately that hadn’t been enough for her. She nodded. She did love oatmeal though. “And maybe some fruit. And a muffin?”
“Anything for my little girl. Her sit down, and I’ll get it for you.”
She watched her dad glide across the floor. She loved her parents so much. After her shift, her mother was going to take her over to Maria’s and they would work on the Book. It was such a surprise that her mother was so enthusiastic about it all. Like pouring over ancient alien histories and advice had been something she’d been dying to do.
Her parents were weird. They were wonderful. She thanked God that she was so lucky. Because she needed them. Perhaps more so now than ever.
Her father sat down on the other end of the table. “So, having a good day so far?”
“Not bad.”
“I talked with Mrs. Castel this morning. She said that you were a wonderful young woman and that we had done a good job raising you right.”
Liz choked on her coffee. “Mrs. Castel said that?” She had been their most unpleasant customer, always grumbling how bad the service was. Except she was there almost every morning, bitter and complaining.
“The woman actually smiled at me. I didn’t know her face muscles could move like that.” He frowned at her, “Did you… do something to her, Liz?”
Liz shook her head, “Not deliberately.”
“Ok, because you need to be careful. Mr. Ibanez is not the only person who is looking for people like you. And some of them are unpleasant. Very unpleasant.” He grabbed one of her hands. “Sorry to be such a drag, but I just worry. Now more than ever.”
“I’ll be careful, Dad. I promise.”
And she would. Because she was starting to scare herself. Because when he touched her hand, she felt a part of her touch him. And memories of that dream, of that nightmare, compelled her to pull. To just pull just a little. To taste what it felt like.
That hunger for just a little taste…. It had been with her all this morning. And it had been why she had been happy to receive the flashes that she had gotten. Because each little bit had been a tiny taste. An old taste, almost stale. But still it had felt good.
How would something … fresher feel. Something live.
She ate her oatmeal and her muffin and her fruit. And while her body was satisfied, there was a tiny feeling of hunger that remained.
Just a taste. A tiny little taste. That was all that tiny voice in her head kept asking her. But just as strong was the feeling that it was wrong. That it would not be enough.
That a taste would only feed her hunger. That she would only want more.
And so Liz Parker fought against herself throughout the course of the morning. As the mistakes that Ana had wrought within Liz Parker began to take full hold.
--------
Isabel-
Isabel watched Alex sleep. She had left only briefly to shower and get a change of clothes. She had talked briefly with her parents about her plans regarding Alex.
They were engaged. And that was final.
She was willing to wait until he was done with High School before marrying him. But that was it. Her own plans for travel had been curtailed. She would spend a year at a local community college and then she would go where ever Alex went..
Most likely Las Cruces.
Although memories of the place were now tainted. She had liked the campus and the people there. Plus it was close to home.
“Good, I am still asleep. I was hoping that my timing would be good.”
Isabel looked up. There was a familiar looking man standing in the corner of the room. Isabel was not sure how he had gotten there. Not unless she had dozed off.
And he looked so very familiar. The grey at the corner of his temples, the worry lines that crossed his face. But the eyes…. She would always recognize those eyes.
Isabel stood up and took a step back. “No. This is impossible!”
“Yeah, the witch has already told her about Max, hasn’t she? I was pretty sure she’d already spilled her guts about the whole sordid affair.”
“Witch? You mean Tess?”
“Huh? Tess? You mean as in Tess Harding?”
Isabel nodded her head. She could feel two of them! How could there be two of them here ! It was impossible!
“Oh, you know I had almost forgotten that she hadn’t died yet. Wow, Tess Harding. Memories…..” He glanced at Isabel, “You already know about what she did to me?”
Isabel nodded. Another Alex. An older Alex. “How?”
“The Granolith of course. The Bitch Queen has Earth almost sewn up. It was our only hope. it’s a good thing your people made the Seal inheritable to Michael. I mean he may have been a paranoid nut for a year or two afterwards, but without his Seal I never would have made it here.”
“You have to, you have to start explaining yourself buster! I’m not even sure I believe in you! I mean your impossible, just impossible.”
“Except you know that I am not. I’m sure that the Bitch Queen dragged you through all the tedious stuff about this. The need to keep information limited. Well, I can see the point of some of it. But I do have some stock tips that you and Alex should take. And be careful, the property market is going to tank soon. Has the Dot.com bubble burst yet?”
“Alex! You are babbling and I need you to focus.”
Future Alex just smiled at her, the grin half leer. “It is amazing how little you have changed through the years. And yet I still love you and our kids.” He shook his head, “They are after all part of why I’m here. At least the versions that will live here and not on my world. If we don’t stop her now, we’ll never be able to later.”
“Stop who?”
“The Witch-Queen herself. Liz Parker.”
Re: IDS - Redemption (CC ALL, Teen/Mature) Part 5 - 03/08/10
Wow, has it already been a month? My apologies, but my muse has been working over time on other stories, namely Kiss. I will try to post for this one more often.
chanks_girl- Thanks. Poor Liz. Things are going to get difficult for her real soon.
RhondaAnn- Thanks. Things in timeline three are complicated. Because Liz's world is actually kind of nice. But there is a tiny little catch.... A ton of stuff that I have touched on in my previous parts are now all heading towards fruition. Its still early in Redemption, so anything is possible.
AvalonRose- Thanks. They are going to need to work together to solve this problem. Because things are about to get complicated.
Keepsmiling7- Liz's Seal just makes it worse. The Granolith is a device to increase the forces of Good in a region of space. Unfortunately, what Liz has been turned into has potentially changed that disasterously.
Disclaimer- Roswell is not mine and no infringement is intended.
Redemption Part 6
Aeron-
Aeron looked at the body that lay on the bed. Strawberry blonde hair on top of a once smiling face. The shifters skin tone was already starting to improve, no longer a pale near blue color it had been since they had pulled her off the sea floor.
It had taken over an hour to chisel off the weights that had been bound to her legs.
Richard had hired the Captain, and old friend of his from Vietnam, but still this apparently had freaked out several of his sailors.
One does not pull a dead woman out of the water and try to bring her to life.
And there had been little doubt she was dead. There were three bullet wounds to her torso. That was one thing.
But the part that had scared them…. There had been a fourth, and it was nearly healed. One of the other three was already closing, albeit slowly.
Shapeshifters were nearly indestructible through normal means. Unless you could somehow breach their stasis ability, they could and would recover. And adapt.
Aeron was fairly sure that when Natalie awoke once she was healed, she would have some limited water breathing capability.
Aeron shivered. The techniques that these creatures used where the same as used by the Great Fleet that had been sent out near the end of the Second Dynasty. They had been recovered not more than fifty years before her birth on Antar. Used by the Tarenons to recommence with their ambitions to develop local space to a greater degree.
They had also been used in the Great War against the Dadonar. And before that against the Mithar who had come to settle on Antar under the Dadonari aegis. There were still tales told to little Mithar children about the shifters that would sneak in and steal little children.
So be good and eat all your vegetables.
Aeron smiled. Those memories were getting sharper. She could remember so much now, so much of who she had been. And how different she was now from then.
Would Natalie understand that she wasn’t really Ava? Or would her programming kick in and try to force her and force the others to be what they were not.
It was a worry she had not shared with the others. A worry that had occurred only while lying in bed with Sean just this morning. Would Natalie demand that she give up her new lover?
Aeron wouldn’t. Not now. She was human. It was what she was now. A human girl with an alien past. A past that she owed some loyalty to. But not as much as she once thought.
Was doing this the right thing? Waking her up?
She would wake in time anyway. Would have crawled up on the beach somewhere along the coast. All Aeron was doing was speeding up the process.
And hopefully. Hopefully gaining a useful ally. One that had a lot of useful information.
Kyle had called her from the hospital, told him of what Tess had done. Told him all of it. She’d even been able to talk with her sister briefly.
If she had died….
She heard the door behind her open and close. By feel it was Sean.
Sean cleared his throat. “I, uh, talked with Richard. He said you told him to wait on the Healing Stones. That you want to ‘do it right?’”
She turned to him and smiled. “Tomorrow I am going to take you home.”
“Home?”
She nodded, “To where I lived, to where I was born.”
---------
Tess-
Tess looked up at Pam.
She was the only one who had sent flowers. The only one.
Of course, the Others weren’t her family anymore. She was alone.
Kyle. She had Kyle and the Sherriff. And hopefully the Others would leave her alone, or maybe even let her help them.
But she wasn’t sure that Isabel would ever be able to forgive her. Would Maria and Michael be any different if learned of the drugs that had nearly destroyed her had come from Tess? Or what about all the work she had done on Liz, to weaken her will and allow Tess the opportunities to work on Max unhindered.
No. Today, in the sober light of day, she was fairly certain that she was now alone.
Aeron. Aeron still loved her.
Aeron, Kyle, and the Sherriff. Her little family.
And apparently Pam.
There was something different about the girl today. Both more open and more closed. And sad. As if some crushing bad news were weighing her down.
Well didn’t they make a pair?
“So what is going on with you Pam?” She partly closed her eyes and rested back firmly in her hospital bed. The doctors could still not believe how fast she was healing.
Which was good, as one of her darkest nightmares featured hospitals. Although in it, the doctors were more interested in taking her apart than in healing her. Still it made sleep a chancy proposition with all the hospital sounds and smells around her.
“Not a lot. Just getting ready for the holidays.”
“I thought you were spending them in Phoenix with your family?” Tess felt a wall of sorrow come from the girl. It was like nothing she had ever felt. Not on that scale. Her eyes tightened on the girl and she used some of her powers to take a better look at the girl.
Human. That at least was a relief at least. But there were odd ripples on the blue-green of her aura. It wasn’t like what she saw with Liz or Maria. The colors weren’t changing. It was really weird.
With a tendril of power she reached out and touched Pam. Or tried to.
Both girls gasped.
Pam stood up and stared at Tess, fear filling her being.
Tess instead just stared at Pam. She could not get into the girls mind.
It wasn’t like it was with Max, where it was hard. Or with Isabel where you just needed to watch yourself. This was like, it was like….
Michael.
Artificial Defenses. Someone was teaching her to block her mind from outside attack. But it did not feel like Michael’s innate defenses at all. They were different.
She sent another tendril, this time to just barely touch Pam. Soft almost. But the harder she pushed, the harder the wall became.
Pam just stared at her in shock, and not a little concentration. “Please, stay out of my head.”
She looked ready to bolt, but somehow Pam managed to hold her ground.
Fascinating. Pam must be a human psi. Nasedo had mentioned them, mostly with contempt. They were weak and unskilled to his mind.
But he had warned her to avoid them. Yes, that must be what she is.
How had she hidden it for so long?
“What are you?”
“I should be asking you the same thing.”
They stared at each other for some time, neither quite knowing how to breach the silence.
--------
Liz
Her shift would be ending soon. And she would never be so glad to leave as today.
It wasn’t because her feet hurt. Or the occasional alien question brought up by the stupid UFO Museum across the street.
No it was because the customer at table eleven was going to try to kill her sometime today. And unlike any of the other flashes she’d ever had this one was definite only in that one thing. That he would try to kill her.
It was going to be one of the most formative moments in her life for some reason. She felt that too. In some situations that was because it would be her last one. In others, in others she became a monster.
A nice monster. A Liz-monster, but a monster none the less.
She needed Max. Needed to talk with him about this. Because there had to be a way she could stop this somehow. Some way that she could survive and still be herself.
To live and not be a monster.
Uncounted possibilities stretched in front of her. Somehow she had to find a way to use her gift to thread a good possibility out of this day.
Maybe the Book would have something she could use. Something. Anything.
Because she was getting so very hungry.
And it wasn’t for food…..
Defending herself would be the perfect justification. But if she started down that road. If she started to EAT people, to consume their essence…..
Where exactly would it stop?
Why? Why was this happening to her?
-------
Maria-
Both Max and Michael were still reading their biographies, theirs and their families.
She had skimmed the girls’ biographies. Tess should be happy with hers, even if it was short. Successful business woman before she accepted marriage to Zan. And some pseudo-religious position dealing with something called the Eidolon.
Isabel’s past was a little more…. Complicated. But reading all the things that girl had supposedly done….. Yeah, if even half of this was true than this was propaganda.
But Maria could read into it. Why Isabel of all of them had been so happy and comparably integrated into the life she had lead as the Ice Princess of West Roswell. Vilandra had never had what Isabel had. She had never had a family. Her father had been unknown, and her mother a noble hanger on that had later become the Queen after the older one had died.
As for her father, only on test had been allowed. That had been given to the former King. And had proven false. Technically Vilandra had not been a Princess at all. And she had lived much of her live as a estranged noble. One into dodgy and dangerous politics as well as arcane scientific pursuits.
Isabel had all that had been denied her on Antar. A loving family. A quiet life in a peaceful land. No wonder she was so zany over Christmas. So eager to make sure that everyone understands the blessings they have.
Maria shook her head. So much of what she read explained her friends. Their strengths and weakness’s partly laid bare. Partly because they did not seem to wholly be these people.
But there was no doubt that it was part of them. The sections she had read of Rath had screamed bits of Michael. And there were still remnants, full remnants of Rath packed away inside of him, slowly seeping into Michael. At first she had worried about that. She didn’t anymore. He loved her. All of him loved all of her.
No more doubts.
At least not about Michael. She smiled at herself. She knew that she had changed. For the better mostly. But that she hadn’t changed that much. She still had a ways to go.
So did Michael
In truth they all did.
She looked down at the papers she had on Vilandra. She came across a section that had been added by Vilandra’s own hand apparently. And it seemed crazy. With worries about some of what she had found in her studies.
“Max?”
“Yeah?”
“What are the Dadonar?”
“The Dadonar? I don’t really know what you are talking about.” Max stared at the pages accusingly. “These don’t really have a lot of useful things to say.”
Michael set down his cup of coffee and stared at Maria. “They are legends. Almost legends I should say. They are part of the reason for the Academy that I trained at. It originally was for training Companions.”
Maria stared at him in turn. “Companions…. That is what my future self say that they needed to defend themselves. That Max here has made us into Companions by mistake. And they need them. This bit, this bit is trying to warn us that the Companions may be needed soon. That a lot of the disorder on Antar and the Colonies was being orchestrated by the Dadonar.”
“The Great Enemy. The Soul Eaters. And she told you her world was ours, that if they are there in her world.” Michael intoned dully.
“Then they are here in ours.” Maria said confidently. She wouldn’t have lied to herself like that. Not under those circumstances. “We need to get a hold of my future self. Or somehow talk to them. If they know things we can use, to make our world safe…. Max, surely you would be willing to help them. To teach them what you have done to me and Liz and Kyle?”
Max looked at Maria and then at Michael. “I, I don’t know. But maybe, maybe she would know what was wrong with Liz. Nothing I’ve read so far mentions what is happening to her.”
“Like what?”
“She is like me. She has a Seal. A full Seal. And there is something happening to her. I can feel it. She is scared. And I am afraid she has a reason. But I don’t, I don’t understand what is going on.” He slammed his fist down on the table.”
“So Liz is like Queen or something?”
“No, the Seal doesn’t work that way. And it’s not the same one as I have. It, it didn’t awaken until I let her borrow the power of mine. And hers just woke up. But I think, I think she may have had it for a long time. And, and I think it is one of the things that probably attracted me to her. She was like me, in a way that none of my other classmates were. She was just like me. And I was lonely.”
Silence filled the room. All of them glancing between each other, not sure what to say next.
There was a knock on the door. Amy, who had been silent, listening grimly to her new extended family, got up and said, “I’ll get it.”
Maria followed, eager to speak with Liz about this. Because they hadn’t really had enough time to really talk about last night. Her greeting stuck in her throat when she saw who was on the other end of the door.
It was herself. Her older self wearing a stylish grey suit and looking very much like a Hollywood FBI Agent, even to the mirror shades.
Maria had hated when the Sherriff used to wear them. You could never see the eyes, see what he was looking at. Seeing them on her older face made it no different.
Amy said, “Good Afternoon, is there something I can do for you.”
Future Maria just snapped off her sunglasses and looked at Amy. And cried.
Maria just watched, as her tough as nails future self broke down and rushed a mystified Amy. “Oh, Mom I have missed you so much!” Her future self gushed.
Maria felt Michael’s hand on her back as he joined her. And watched a child mother reunion. An odd one, with the mother younger than the child.
Such is life in the Abyss.
--------
Isabel-
“You have to be joking,” Isabel glared at the future version of Alex. “I can’t say that I’ve always thought well of Liz, but ‘witch-queen?’ Isn’t that a bit strong?”
“Not really no. She really does have the whole world eating out of her hand. She has brought World Peace. Only a few of us hold out and try to resist her.”
“World Peace? That doesn’t sound so bad…..”
“It’s a damn utopia. Yeah, no war, no famine. She’s working on no poverty.” Future Alex separated his fingers by a tiny span, “She’s this far from being declared a Goddess. In fact in some nations she already is. It’s like the second coming. Except for the price of course. Such a small thing.” He turned to face her, his eyes locking on hers, all but quivering with passion. “She EATS people, Isabel. She rips their souls out and consumes them.”
“WHAT?”
“She Dadonari. Its only a matter of time before the others come and enjoy the feast she is setting for them. You taught me that. I can remember the horror when we first found out what she was doing. Oh, she used a lot of the power she got helping and healing others. But not all of it. And by the time we found out it was too late. She was too strong. Not even Max could stand against her Voice.”
“Dadonari? That’s impossible. They lurk in the distances of space. We pushed them back!”
“Not far enough, or maybe you did. We don’t know. We only know that Liz and her daughters have that gift.”
“Liz and Max have kids?”
“No. There was always more to do. More to organize the world to prepare for the Antarans. Oh, yeah we were ready for the invasion to happen. Were well on our way to forging the world into an effective tool for exploring the cosmos. And then we found Liz’s secret. The reason she kept growing so much more powerful. Max couldn’t stop her. But their marriage was over after that. Max never recovered. Liz apparently did. Two years after the divorce she had a daughter. Only it wasn’t normal. It was like her, only from birth. Liz had special nursemaids for her. You could see the nursemaids age as the daughter fed.”
“My God. How long?”
“Fifteen years. We have been fighting her for fifteen years. This is out last chance, our last hope. Not for us. Our world is damned. We know this. But maybe, just maybe we can save yours.”
“How?”
“You must kill Liz Parker.”
chanks_girl- Thanks. Poor Liz. Things are going to get difficult for her real soon.
RhondaAnn- Thanks. Things in timeline three are complicated. Because Liz's world is actually kind of nice. But there is a tiny little catch.... A ton of stuff that I have touched on in my previous parts are now all heading towards fruition. Its still early in Redemption, so anything is possible.
AvalonRose- Thanks. They are going to need to work together to solve this problem. Because things are about to get complicated.
Keepsmiling7- Liz's Seal just makes it worse. The Granolith is a device to increase the forces of Good in a region of space. Unfortunately, what Liz has been turned into has potentially changed that disasterously.
Disclaimer- Roswell is not mine and no infringement is intended.
Redemption Part 6
Aeron-
Aeron looked at the body that lay on the bed. Strawberry blonde hair on top of a once smiling face. The shifters skin tone was already starting to improve, no longer a pale near blue color it had been since they had pulled her off the sea floor.
It had taken over an hour to chisel off the weights that had been bound to her legs.
Richard had hired the Captain, and old friend of his from Vietnam, but still this apparently had freaked out several of his sailors.
One does not pull a dead woman out of the water and try to bring her to life.
And there had been little doubt she was dead. There were three bullet wounds to her torso. That was one thing.
But the part that had scared them…. There had been a fourth, and it was nearly healed. One of the other three was already closing, albeit slowly.
Shapeshifters were nearly indestructible through normal means. Unless you could somehow breach their stasis ability, they could and would recover. And adapt.
Aeron was fairly sure that when Natalie awoke once she was healed, she would have some limited water breathing capability.
Aeron shivered. The techniques that these creatures used where the same as used by the Great Fleet that had been sent out near the end of the Second Dynasty. They had been recovered not more than fifty years before her birth on Antar. Used by the Tarenons to recommence with their ambitions to develop local space to a greater degree.
They had also been used in the Great War against the Dadonar. And before that against the Mithar who had come to settle on Antar under the Dadonari aegis. There were still tales told to little Mithar children about the shifters that would sneak in and steal little children.
So be good and eat all your vegetables.
Aeron smiled. Those memories were getting sharper. She could remember so much now, so much of who she had been. And how different she was now from then.
Would Natalie understand that she wasn’t really Ava? Or would her programming kick in and try to force her and force the others to be what they were not.
It was a worry she had not shared with the others. A worry that had occurred only while lying in bed with Sean just this morning. Would Natalie demand that she give up her new lover?
Aeron wouldn’t. Not now. She was human. It was what she was now. A human girl with an alien past. A past that she owed some loyalty to. But not as much as she once thought.
Was doing this the right thing? Waking her up?
She would wake in time anyway. Would have crawled up on the beach somewhere along the coast. All Aeron was doing was speeding up the process.
And hopefully. Hopefully gaining a useful ally. One that had a lot of useful information.
Kyle had called her from the hospital, told him of what Tess had done. Told him all of it. She’d even been able to talk with her sister briefly.
If she had died….
She heard the door behind her open and close. By feel it was Sean.
Sean cleared his throat. “I, uh, talked with Richard. He said you told him to wait on the Healing Stones. That you want to ‘do it right?’”
She turned to him and smiled. “Tomorrow I am going to take you home.”
“Home?”
She nodded, “To where I lived, to where I was born.”
---------
Tess-
Tess looked up at Pam.
She was the only one who had sent flowers. The only one.
Of course, the Others weren’t her family anymore. She was alone.
Kyle. She had Kyle and the Sherriff. And hopefully the Others would leave her alone, or maybe even let her help them.
But she wasn’t sure that Isabel would ever be able to forgive her. Would Maria and Michael be any different if learned of the drugs that had nearly destroyed her had come from Tess? Or what about all the work she had done on Liz, to weaken her will and allow Tess the opportunities to work on Max unhindered.
No. Today, in the sober light of day, she was fairly certain that she was now alone.
Aeron. Aeron still loved her.
Aeron, Kyle, and the Sherriff. Her little family.
And apparently Pam.
There was something different about the girl today. Both more open and more closed. And sad. As if some crushing bad news were weighing her down.
Well didn’t they make a pair?
“So what is going on with you Pam?” She partly closed her eyes and rested back firmly in her hospital bed. The doctors could still not believe how fast she was healing.
Which was good, as one of her darkest nightmares featured hospitals. Although in it, the doctors were more interested in taking her apart than in healing her. Still it made sleep a chancy proposition with all the hospital sounds and smells around her.
“Not a lot. Just getting ready for the holidays.”
“I thought you were spending them in Phoenix with your family?” Tess felt a wall of sorrow come from the girl. It was like nothing she had ever felt. Not on that scale. Her eyes tightened on the girl and she used some of her powers to take a better look at the girl.
Human. That at least was a relief at least. But there were odd ripples on the blue-green of her aura. It wasn’t like what she saw with Liz or Maria. The colors weren’t changing. It was really weird.
With a tendril of power she reached out and touched Pam. Or tried to.
Both girls gasped.
Pam stood up and stared at Tess, fear filling her being.
Tess instead just stared at Pam. She could not get into the girls mind.
It wasn’t like it was with Max, where it was hard. Or with Isabel where you just needed to watch yourself. This was like, it was like….
Michael.
Artificial Defenses. Someone was teaching her to block her mind from outside attack. But it did not feel like Michael’s innate defenses at all. They were different.
She sent another tendril, this time to just barely touch Pam. Soft almost. But the harder she pushed, the harder the wall became.
Pam just stared at her in shock, and not a little concentration. “Please, stay out of my head.”
She looked ready to bolt, but somehow Pam managed to hold her ground.
Fascinating. Pam must be a human psi. Nasedo had mentioned them, mostly with contempt. They were weak and unskilled to his mind.
But he had warned her to avoid them. Yes, that must be what she is.
How had she hidden it for so long?
“What are you?”
“I should be asking you the same thing.”
They stared at each other for some time, neither quite knowing how to breach the silence.
--------
Liz
Her shift would be ending soon. And she would never be so glad to leave as today.
It wasn’t because her feet hurt. Or the occasional alien question brought up by the stupid UFO Museum across the street.
No it was because the customer at table eleven was going to try to kill her sometime today. And unlike any of the other flashes she’d ever had this one was definite only in that one thing. That he would try to kill her.
It was going to be one of the most formative moments in her life for some reason. She felt that too. In some situations that was because it would be her last one. In others, in others she became a monster.
A nice monster. A Liz-monster, but a monster none the less.
She needed Max. Needed to talk with him about this. Because there had to be a way she could stop this somehow. Some way that she could survive and still be herself.
To live and not be a monster.
Uncounted possibilities stretched in front of her. Somehow she had to find a way to use her gift to thread a good possibility out of this day.
Maybe the Book would have something she could use. Something. Anything.
Because she was getting so very hungry.
And it wasn’t for food…..
Defending herself would be the perfect justification. But if she started down that road. If she started to EAT people, to consume their essence…..
Where exactly would it stop?
Why? Why was this happening to her?
-------
Maria-
Both Max and Michael were still reading their biographies, theirs and their families.
She had skimmed the girls’ biographies. Tess should be happy with hers, even if it was short. Successful business woman before she accepted marriage to Zan. And some pseudo-religious position dealing with something called the Eidolon.
Isabel’s past was a little more…. Complicated. But reading all the things that girl had supposedly done….. Yeah, if even half of this was true than this was propaganda.
But Maria could read into it. Why Isabel of all of them had been so happy and comparably integrated into the life she had lead as the Ice Princess of West Roswell. Vilandra had never had what Isabel had. She had never had a family. Her father had been unknown, and her mother a noble hanger on that had later become the Queen after the older one had died.
As for her father, only on test had been allowed. That had been given to the former King. And had proven false. Technically Vilandra had not been a Princess at all. And she had lived much of her live as a estranged noble. One into dodgy and dangerous politics as well as arcane scientific pursuits.
Isabel had all that had been denied her on Antar. A loving family. A quiet life in a peaceful land. No wonder she was so zany over Christmas. So eager to make sure that everyone understands the blessings they have.
Maria shook her head. So much of what she read explained her friends. Their strengths and weakness’s partly laid bare. Partly because they did not seem to wholly be these people.
But there was no doubt that it was part of them. The sections she had read of Rath had screamed bits of Michael. And there were still remnants, full remnants of Rath packed away inside of him, slowly seeping into Michael. At first she had worried about that. She didn’t anymore. He loved her. All of him loved all of her.
No more doubts.
At least not about Michael. She smiled at herself. She knew that she had changed. For the better mostly. But that she hadn’t changed that much. She still had a ways to go.
So did Michael
In truth they all did.
She looked down at the papers she had on Vilandra. She came across a section that had been added by Vilandra’s own hand apparently. And it seemed crazy. With worries about some of what she had found in her studies.
“Max?”
“Yeah?”
“What are the Dadonar?”
“The Dadonar? I don’t really know what you are talking about.” Max stared at the pages accusingly. “These don’t really have a lot of useful things to say.”
Michael set down his cup of coffee and stared at Maria. “They are legends. Almost legends I should say. They are part of the reason for the Academy that I trained at. It originally was for training Companions.”
Maria stared at him in turn. “Companions…. That is what my future self say that they needed to defend themselves. That Max here has made us into Companions by mistake. And they need them. This bit, this bit is trying to warn us that the Companions may be needed soon. That a lot of the disorder on Antar and the Colonies was being orchestrated by the Dadonar.”
“The Great Enemy. The Soul Eaters. And she told you her world was ours, that if they are there in her world.” Michael intoned dully.
“Then they are here in ours.” Maria said confidently. She wouldn’t have lied to herself like that. Not under those circumstances. “We need to get a hold of my future self. Or somehow talk to them. If they know things we can use, to make our world safe…. Max, surely you would be willing to help them. To teach them what you have done to me and Liz and Kyle?”
Max looked at Maria and then at Michael. “I, I don’t know. But maybe, maybe she would know what was wrong with Liz. Nothing I’ve read so far mentions what is happening to her.”
“Like what?”
“She is like me. She has a Seal. A full Seal. And there is something happening to her. I can feel it. She is scared. And I am afraid she has a reason. But I don’t, I don’t understand what is going on.” He slammed his fist down on the table.”
“So Liz is like Queen or something?”
“No, the Seal doesn’t work that way. And it’s not the same one as I have. It, it didn’t awaken until I let her borrow the power of mine. And hers just woke up. But I think, I think she may have had it for a long time. And, and I think it is one of the things that probably attracted me to her. She was like me, in a way that none of my other classmates were. She was just like me. And I was lonely.”
Silence filled the room. All of them glancing between each other, not sure what to say next.
There was a knock on the door. Amy, who had been silent, listening grimly to her new extended family, got up and said, “I’ll get it.”
Maria followed, eager to speak with Liz about this. Because they hadn’t really had enough time to really talk about last night. Her greeting stuck in her throat when she saw who was on the other end of the door.
It was herself. Her older self wearing a stylish grey suit and looking very much like a Hollywood FBI Agent, even to the mirror shades.
Maria had hated when the Sherriff used to wear them. You could never see the eyes, see what he was looking at. Seeing them on her older face made it no different.
Amy said, “Good Afternoon, is there something I can do for you.”
Future Maria just snapped off her sunglasses and looked at Amy. And cried.
Maria just watched, as her tough as nails future self broke down and rushed a mystified Amy. “Oh, Mom I have missed you so much!” Her future self gushed.
Maria felt Michael’s hand on her back as he joined her. And watched a child mother reunion. An odd one, with the mother younger than the child.
Such is life in the Abyss.
--------
Isabel-
“You have to be joking,” Isabel glared at the future version of Alex. “I can’t say that I’ve always thought well of Liz, but ‘witch-queen?’ Isn’t that a bit strong?”
“Not really no. She really does have the whole world eating out of her hand. She has brought World Peace. Only a few of us hold out and try to resist her.”
“World Peace? That doesn’t sound so bad…..”
“It’s a damn utopia. Yeah, no war, no famine. She’s working on no poverty.” Future Alex separated his fingers by a tiny span, “She’s this far from being declared a Goddess. In fact in some nations she already is. It’s like the second coming. Except for the price of course. Such a small thing.” He turned to face her, his eyes locking on hers, all but quivering with passion. “She EATS people, Isabel. She rips their souls out and consumes them.”
“WHAT?”
“She Dadonari. Its only a matter of time before the others come and enjoy the feast she is setting for them. You taught me that. I can remember the horror when we first found out what she was doing. Oh, she used a lot of the power she got helping and healing others. But not all of it. And by the time we found out it was too late. She was too strong. Not even Max could stand against her Voice.”
“Dadonari? That’s impossible. They lurk in the distances of space. We pushed them back!”
“Not far enough, or maybe you did. We don’t know. We only know that Liz and her daughters have that gift.”
“Liz and Max have kids?”
“No. There was always more to do. More to organize the world to prepare for the Antarans. Oh, yeah we were ready for the invasion to happen. Were well on our way to forging the world into an effective tool for exploring the cosmos. And then we found Liz’s secret. The reason she kept growing so much more powerful. Max couldn’t stop her. But their marriage was over after that. Max never recovered. Liz apparently did. Two years after the divorce she had a daughter. Only it wasn’t normal. It was like her, only from birth. Liz had special nursemaids for her. You could see the nursemaids age as the daughter fed.”
“My God. How long?”
“Fifteen years. We have been fighting her for fifteen years. This is out last chance, our last hope. Not for us. Our world is damned. We know this. But maybe, just maybe we can save yours.”
“How?”
“You must kill Liz Parker.”
Re: IDS - Redemption (CC ALL, Teen/Mature) Part 6 - 04/11/10
Thanks to everyone following along this story. This part will be a little... intense. So bear with me. And remember, I like happy endings.
RhondaAnn- Thanks. No. She is Dadonari because of what Ana did to her. She tired to make Liz into a special type of Mithar warrior. She was interrupted, there was that timestorm, and oh yeah. Max had already healed her. Add in her own complicated background and she is a strange melange of things. Not all of them good.
As for the others, well timing is everything. Michael cut off one route for Future Maria to accomplish her task so she set about finding another.
keepsmiling7- Thanks. No child of Liz will be normal at this point. In the future that the older Alex is from her children are able to drain life energy from birth. That is not a given.
AvalonRose- Thanks. Her situation is a confuence of events stretching all the way back to part one in the Longest Day. Ana really messed her up. All the usage of power has just sped up the process things would have taken from that point.
xmag- Thanks. Welcome back. Yep they changed the future, but it split off into its own universe. The one Alex is from is much the same. Only this time Liz's curse is what is the problem. Her abilties are a confluence of many many issues. The most prominent one is what Ana did to her so very long ago. She has been developing alll this time, and this Dadonari aspect is what Tess and Isabel have been feeling for the last couple of parts when they get worried about her.
Disclaimer- Roswell is not mine and no infringement is intended.
Redemption Part 7
Pam
Pam closed her eyes. It was easier somehow to imagine Tess as something other than the human girl before her that way. To see the swirling Crimson and Gold aura that she was washed in.
Colors not human would have. Simply not human. This close, this close the thin veil that made her seem human was parted. And Pam could see that she clearly was something other.
And yet…. Pam needed someone. Adam was all well and good. But Pam knew he stills aw her as a little girl. And as a tool. As bait.
He would protect her. But in the end he would do his job. He would try to pin who was after her. Because Ana was likely a threat to mankind, the harbinger of an invasion.
As Tess herself might be.
Pam was quiet when she said, “So where do we go from here. I know you are not what you seem. That you are not human.” She opened her eyes and met Tess’s blue eyes.
Tess looked thoughtful. And sighed. And said softly in return, “No, not entirely. But then you are a bit out of the norm to aren’t you?”
Pam laughed nervously. “I am now. But it happened, it happened not long ago. I have to ask you, would you have ever told me? Told me what you really are?”
Tess shook her head, “No. My life is dangerous. Much too dangerous to drag friends into unless they are already hip deep.” She looked at Pam again, “Which you might be now. I hope you don’t mind that I don’t share it all now, but yeah. Thing is I don’t mean any harm. I just want to live my life peacefully. I have enemies, but other than that.”
“Oh. I guess I hadn’t thought about that. I guess I have enemies now. Maybe its good that my family has shunned me.”
“Your family has shunned you? For what? For being different.”
Pam nodded. She tried to stop them, but a tear slipped down. One of many to follow shortly.
Tess’s eyes lit up with an angry fire, “Damn them! Why would they do this to you? During Christmas of all things.”
“They have their reasons.”
Again Pam felt an uncomfortable prickling along her mind. “Please, don’t.”
“This is all new to you, isn’t it.”
Pam nodded.
“And those people with Far Sight are training you.”
Another nod, another small wave of tears. “They all but own me.”
Tess beckoned to Pam and held her, wincing slightly. “Okay. Well if it makes you feel better, my family isn’t really on speaking terms with me either. They have a better reason. I, I, no, I simply can’t tell you yet. But how about this. We both need a friend. I will be yours if you are mine.”
Pam wiped one eye, “Okay.”
“Good, now when you are feeling better and I am feeling better I will help train you. If you have a minder, well I will talk with Alicia. I guess my fate it tied with Earth’s now.”
Pam gave her a huge hug. And cried.
-------
Liz-
Liz was finally calming down. The shower had helped.
And once she went downstairs and got her mom, they would go to Maria’s and she would see Max. Hopefully he would have answers. Or something.
She wrapped her towel around her and entered her room.
She knew immediately she was not alone. She tilted her head to the side and a heavy knife slammed into the wall beside her.
It would have gone right into her head.
“Now that I have your attention, bitch.”
It was the man she had seen from the Crashdown. And in front of him was her cache of alien weapons. He had been examining them. She lifted her hand and tried to use her power to grab one.
He waved what looked like a crystalline sword and somehow blocked her. “Now, now, now, can’t let you have any of your toys. Do your friends know you have these? Somehow I doubt it.” In his other hand he held a familiar gem.
Her Aide.
“Why are you here?”
He smiled, “Oh, don’t play coy with me. You already know what you are. I can see the fear in your eyes. You haven’t killed yet. I can sense that too. But this is the day. They day those thugs of Nicholas attack you. The day you kill. The first time you feed.” His smile was sympathetic. “Wouldn’t you prefer to still be human, still be the perfect Liz Parker and not some hideous monster before you die? Why don’t you just accept it.”
Strange electric currents flowed over the Aide she had poured so much of her anguish and pain into . So much of her recent trauma, all placed into that alien gem.
He was using that against her! He was… he was….
He was right. This was the point in time where she had to choose. Where her new destiny would progress from. And if she chose to continue, she would feed. She would kill.
It was part of her. An inescapable part of her. She looked at her palms, at the glowing light that came forth.
“You are from another time. Another world. Aren’t you.”
“Yes. In my world you go on, much like you are now. You will be attacked and you will defend yourself. And you will destroy them. It will complete the changes Ana started in you, make you fully Dadonar. You will hide it from your friends, from your family. But in time they will learn. And they will not accept you. You already know that they won’t. That they will not let a monster be among them.”
Maybe it would be best. To just let him kill her. To let it end. She looked at the crystalline sword. “I take it you will use that?”
He smiled. “Pretty isn’t it? It is the height of anti-Dadonar weapons from my world. Yes, it will cut your hold on reality. You will quite simply cease to exist.”
Tears began to well in her eyes. Already she could feel her possibilities fade. One by one her possible choices, her possible futures began to disappear.
Some people see their lives flash before their eyes before they die. Liz also saw all the possibilities disappear.
Flashes appeared in her mind. Making love to Max. Her children. Graduation. All of life whirled about her, slowly drying up on the point o f sword.
A large part of her wanted it, wanted all of it. She was so young! It wasn’t fair! She wished she had more time.
But in everyone of those future moments the hunger had lurked. Sometimes she had given in, and sometimes she had held out for years. But always the hunger called to her. In the end it was always the same. She would find a way to justify it.
She would kill. And take their hopes and dreams from them. Wouldn’t it simply be better to allow this? To sacrifice herself for the greater good.
Yes. Yes that is what she must do.
Such a small thing.
And in her mind one possible future existed. One without her.
“What do I need to do?”
The man smiled. And told her.
Such a small sacrifice for a better world.
She knelt and awaited the killing blow.
---------
Max
Max stood in front of a bewildered Amy, hands glowing just inches from her breasts.
How could he have been so cold? So cruel to Maria? She had pulled him from the brink that horrible summer. Had saved his sanity.
Had he truly been so paranoid, so protective of his nice life with Liz and his children, that he let Maria’s mother die? Die when he could have easily saved her.
Strange things do happen. Sometimes people get lucky. Its rare, but sometimes remission just happens. They could have taken Amy home. Healed her there.
Instead Max had let her die. Had let the one person who Maria had truly cared for die in agony.
Not in this life.
Not with two Maria’s glaring at him, green eyes flashing.
And so much was different in this timeline. In the other Maria’s timeline he had never gone to save those children. He had never had to.
He had never healed more than a scrape or bruise until the war happened. Or so the Future version of Maria assured him. He had had a wonderful gift and had let it rot. All to be normal.
There were a few small abnormal cell clusters. Max wasn’t sure they were cancerous. He eliminated them anyway. And then as he had with the children at the hospital, he decided to go for broke.
If he was going to heal her, he might as well heal all of her.
Flashes roared through his head. Protests. The joy of a happy marriage. Maria’s birth. The horrible sense of betrayal of finding that the man she had loved was not who he had lead her to believe.
Their last fight, words and accusations flying. The hard years of taking care of Maria alone.
Amy shuddered and shook. She took a step back. “What did you do to me?”
Max really needed to sit down now. “I healed you.” He turned to face the two Maria’s. “I will have to check, there wasn’t much there but I fixed it. There are some things I can’t fix. But I cleared the major arteries and fixed the tiny amount of lung damage.” He turned to face Amy, “Although it would help if you finally completely stopped smoking….”
“Mom!” came the younger Maria’s cry.
The older Maria just chuckled and shook her head. “Stressed out?”
“Yes, wouldn’t you be if you found out. Found out your little baby girl has super powers and isn’t really human anymore. That her boyfriend and most of her friends are less human than she is and… Yes I think I can safely say I am STRESSED!”
There was banter between them. But he didn’t pay any attention. Not even when Michael became involved.
Something was wrong with Liz. He could feel as she slowly gave up. As she fell into a deep sense of despair and prepared to die.
No! No he couldn’t let her…..
Pain the likes of which he had never known ripped through him. He felt as the heavy blade plunged deep into her chest, into her beating heart. Felt the sudden chill as it began to erase Liz from existence.
He felt every bit of agony as Liz’s soul was destroyed, as a part of him was forever sundered.
For she wasn’t just dead. Wasn’t just separated from him by the wall that keeps the living from the dead. He hadn’t known there was a difference. Hadn’t known that it would matter.
But even with the heavy tang that death brought, there was still the hope of redemption. Still the hope that maybe, somewhere you could be reunited.
Liz was gone. Even his memories of her began to feel… flat. As if part of her had been removed permanently even from them.
He ached to cry out. To scream at the heavens.
But it was simply too much.
Max tried to follow her. Tried to follow his beloved into that emptiness of nothingness she now was. He tried to cease to be.
Had he tried to commit power assisted suicide, perhaps he would have succeeded. But not even the bearer of the Seal of the Granolith could unmake himself.
The Granolith existed to create, to protect, to heal. And so at his request for unmaking it sent him into a deep and restful sleep.
He would be needed.
---------
Sean-
Sean pushed the cart that had all the supplies they would need. And underneath all of that Natalie’s body.
Aeron was taking him to the place she had been born. To the place she had once called home.
Richard, of course was walking with them. He was supposedly supervising them on some task. In any event, the few times they had been stopped down her he had taken the person aside and they had left.
Bribery? Persuasion? Alien Mind control?
Sean didn’t know. Just that having him along had saved them so much trouble.
Aeron nervously lead them to what appeared to be a blank wall. “No ones watching us are they?”
Sean shook his head. He couldn’t see anyone.
Richard said, “No,” He had been quiet the last day or so. Maybe rethinking his part in this whole enterprise. Maybe he hadn’t believed that Aeron really had known where Natalie had lain.
Aeron’s nervousness was starting to rub off on him. Sometimes, he almost felt he could feel her. That he could sense where she was. Without looking.
Kyle’s warnings about how the Abyss would slowly take over his life returned.
No. If this were the price for Aeron he would willingly pay it. Just as eagerly as he would have for Karis.
A small sense of shame filled him. He hadn’t thought of her at all today. His fallen love.
No his thoughts had been on Aeron and on their crazy task.
And he had called Guerin whipped.
Aeron placed her hand on the wall. And it opened.
Sean shook his head and followed Ava with the cart. He’d be so happy for this to be done. This cart was heavy.
He bumped into a stopped Aeron. She was shaking slightly, hand raised towards another man.
The spitting image of Guerin. Only his face was scarred and he was wearing fatigues.
Trouble.
He reached for the gun that Richard had hidden for him in the cart.
The Michael look-a-like said quietly, “Aeron, I don’t mean harm. I need your help.”
“Rath, you said quite enough the last time we met.”
He nodded. “I go by Garit now. I know. I am trying to make amends. That and rescue Lonnie. Please, come in.” And he turned his back and went deeper into the complex.
Sean whispered, “What now?”
“I don’t know.” Said Aeron.
Richard did not put his gun away, but said, “It can not hurt to hear him out.”
Aeron just nodded.
And they followed Rath.
--------
Isabel-
Isabel reluctantly left the hospital with the older Alex.
She still wasn’t sure that she could actually bring herself to kill Liz. Even if Liz had indeed become some sort of monster, she had still saved Michael and Maria. And she had helped them all on so many occasions in the last year or so.
Without Liz, Isabel would never have approached Alex. Would never have known him.
And Max. How could she ever look Max in the eyes if she killed Liz. She wouldn’t understand if Max killed Alex, she knew that much.
Max would want to save her.
“There has to be another way.”
“I wish there was. Unfortunately we couldn’t go any further back than this. If we could stop Ana…. It was her meddling we think that messed Liz up.”
“Emily.”
“Yes, in part. Some of what she is comes from her yes. But some is also from Max and his handiwork. And some is simply innate. Ana tried to make a certain style of Mithar off of her. A Thresta, fearsome warriors and an excellent addition to her cadre. But somewhere she made a mistake and we don’t really know what it is. Maybe if we knew we could cure her. But…..”
“Alex, I don’t think I can kill her.”
“If I have to, I will do it myself. We don’t know if that will actually work. I’m not fully here, just sort of being projected here by the Granolith. The more changes the harder it will be for me to stay. Until eventually I get pulled back. We’re not sure if any direct physical action will get removed as well. Maybe. Maybe not. But if you can’t…..”
“Seriously, can’t we just think about this? Or maybe talk to the others.” Isabel was nervously playing with her hair as Alex opened the door to his rental car. She slid in.
Alex got into the drivers seat and drove off.
“No, they will have enough problems. A version of Maria from the first timeline will keep them busy. They won’t have time to help or to interfere.”
“This is just wrong. She hasn’t done anything yet.”
Alex glanced at her through the mirror. “But she will. Those hunger pangs are supposed to be worse than heroin. She will give in. Its only a matter of time.”
They drove in silence for a few moments. And Alex pulled up to the Crashdown. “If we get her here, she won’t have run into those dumb thugs. She won’t have fed.” He turned and looked at Isabel seriously, “If this goes badly. If she gets me, run. She is never more powerful than right after she has fed.”
“You think, you think she would kill. Kill us?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know how deep into the hunger pangs she is. She almost killed Maria once. She stopped before she had gone to far, but…..”
“Oh. My. God. She fed on Maria?”
“By accident, but it did happen. If we are a threat to her, well….”
Sudden knowledge bloomed in her head. “She killed me didn’t she? I attacked her and she…..”
Alex’s eyes were in tears. “Yes. She didn’t, she didn’t consume you. She let you die. But yes. She drank all of your life essence until you died. And if we don’t stop her, she will again. Come on. She should be on her deck. If our timing is right she will be writing in her journal.”
They moved to the back. Alex waved his hands and the ladder rolled silently down.
“You have powers?”
Alex said, “When I wake, I won’t be normal, I won’t be like the others, but I will have gifts of a sort. Now, Shhh.” He began to climb.
She followed and smiled when he helped her up the last bit. Isabel looked either way. No Liz.
Alex sighed, “Must be early. You mind peeking into the window? She takes a shower and gets dressed right before she writes in her journal.”
Isabel nodded. She crept up to the window. It was open despite the cold. She pulled back the curtains and saw a Liz kneeling on the floor in a towel. She had a look of weary resignation on her face.
A man with a blue-green gem in one hand and a crystalline sword in the other stood over Liz. On his face was a cruel smile as he slowly touched the sword to slightly above Liz’s left breast. A tiny red trickle flowed from the small wound into the white towel.
Where the sword touched a small circle of pure whiteness radiated, slowly eating at Liz’s skin. The sword began to glow with a heavy blueness.
Liz looked briefly at Isabel and then at the man. “Finish me.” She raised her hands up in supplication, “I accept my oblivion at your hands.”
Isabel just stood there in complete shock. “What?”
Alex was at her side in a flash. “NO! Don’t do this!”
The man thrust the crystalline sword deep into Liz’s chest. Into her heart.
Liz just gasped, white mist escaping her throat. The whiteness flashed rapidly across her body. Even the blood that poured out of Liz’s body was white.
Isabel could hear a piercing scream. It took moments for it to realize that it was hers.
Liz didn’t make a sound. But Isabel could see her eyes. Could see the agony as her friend was destroyed. As the whiteness began to drift to the floor, her body turning to white dust.
And then gone.
Nothing was left behind. Nothing.
In the mans left hand, white dust drifted from where Liz’s Aide had once been. It had been part of her. And she was gone. The sword in his right was no longer clear. It had a heavy bluish aura about it.
Alex was yelling. “How could you? Do you know what you have just done?”
“I have destroyed her. Now there are two timelines without her pesky soul. Gone. Doesn’t that fill you with joy Whitman? That your wife has been avenged?”
“Not like this! Not with the Soul Razor!”
The man said nothing but swung the sword hard at Alex.
Alex dodged. He tossed a couple of blasts at the enemy. To no discernable effect. Alex pulled back a little and drew a gun.
The enemy ignored Alex and lunged at Isabel. She backed up and tripped over one of Liz’s chaise lounges. She just couldn’t stop screaming!
The man crawled out of the room and stood above her.
She blasted him, but for some reason, her blasts were as ineffective as Alex’s.
The man stood above her and grinned. “They will pay me almost as much for you my dear Vilandra.” He lifted it up and prepared to stab her….
Crack!
Alex had shot him!
The man stiffened and grunted in pain. He looked down at her and said. “Stay…….”
It reverberated about her mind. She had to obey. She HAD to. So she just lay there and watched.
The man dodged Alex’s other shots. “I must say, I am not sure I am going to return this sword. Using Parker’s Gifts…. Very intoxicating.”
“What could they possibly have offered you? That you would side with Them?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Immortality and riches beyond my wildest dream. The fact I would be on the winning side for a change.”
“You think they will let you live? They will betray you.”
“Not while I have this,” He raised the glowing blue blade. “You know, I am tired of this. Tired of your moralizing. You miss your wife, Whitman. Don’t you think it is time to join her?”
Alex was shaking his head. But the gun he had in his hand was slowly moving up to his head.
“Go on Alex. Put yourself out of our misery.”
Isabel closed her eyes. She heard a gunshot.
She simply could not open her eyes. Not now.
“Open your eyes Princess. Time to join your friend in oblivion.”
She rallied all she was, and she prepared a massive attack. She opened her eyes and watched as the blade began to fall. It would take her right in the stomach.
She launched her blistering attack and the sword stopped right above her belly.
The man just stared at the sword, locked in his motion. “No. NO! This is impossible. Impossible…..” Lightning poured from the blade and consumed him.
Isabel watched as an after image of him fought being dragged into the blade. Fought and failed.
Finally she could move.
The man was completely consumed and his singed clothes drifted to the ground. The blade landed with an unnatural clunk.
Isabel got up and held the blade. For some reason it made her feel better.
And that is how they found her. Upstairs alone, holding a glowing blue sword. And crying. Crying so very hard.
RhondaAnn- Thanks. No. She is Dadonari because of what Ana did to her. She tired to make Liz into a special type of Mithar warrior. She was interrupted, there was that timestorm, and oh yeah. Max had already healed her. Add in her own complicated background and she is a strange melange of things. Not all of them good.
As for the others, well timing is everything. Michael cut off one route for Future Maria to accomplish her task so she set about finding another.
keepsmiling7- Thanks. No child of Liz will be normal at this point. In the future that the older Alex is from her children are able to drain life energy from birth. That is not a given.
AvalonRose- Thanks. Her situation is a confuence of events stretching all the way back to part one in the Longest Day. Ana really messed her up. All the usage of power has just sped up the process things would have taken from that point.
xmag- Thanks. Welcome back. Yep they changed the future, but it split off into its own universe. The one Alex is from is much the same. Only this time Liz's curse is what is the problem. Her abilties are a confluence of many many issues. The most prominent one is what Ana did to her so very long ago. She has been developing alll this time, and this Dadonari aspect is what Tess and Isabel have been feeling for the last couple of parts when they get worried about her.
Disclaimer- Roswell is not mine and no infringement is intended.
Redemption Part 7
Pam
Pam closed her eyes. It was easier somehow to imagine Tess as something other than the human girl before her that way. To see the swirling Crimson and Gold aura that she was washed in.
Colors not human would have. Simply not human. This close, this close the thin veil that made her seem human was parted. And Pam could see that she clearly was something other.
And yet…. Pam needed someone. Adam was all well and good. But Pam knew he stills aw her as a little girl. And as a tool. As bait.
He would protect her. But in the end he would do his job. He would try to pin who was after her. Because Ana was likely a threat to mankind, the harbinger of an invasion.
As Tess herself might be.
Pam was quiet when she said, “So where do we go from here. I know you are not what you seem. That you are not human.” She opened her eyes and met Tess’s blue eyes.
Tess looked thoughtful. And sighed. And said softly in return, “No, not entirely. But then you are a bit out of the norm to aren’t you?”
Pam laughed nervously. “I am now. But it happened, it happened not long ago. I have to ask you, would you have ever told me? Told me what you really are?”
Tess shook her head, “No. My life is dangerous. Much too dangerous to drag friends into unless they are already hip deep.” She looked at Pam again, “Which you might be now. I hope you don’t mind that I don’t share it all now, but yeah. Thing is I don’t mean any harm. I just want to live my life peacefully. I have enemies, but other than that.”
“Oh. I guess I hadn’t thought about that. I guess I have enemies now. Maybe its good that my family has shunned me.”
“Your family has shunned you? For what? For being different.”
Pam nodded. She tried to stop them, but a tear slipped down. One of many to follow shortly.
Tess’s eyes lit up with an angry fire, “Damn them! Why would they do this to you? During Christmas of all things.”
“They have their reasons.”
Again Pam felt an uncomfortable prickling along her mind. “Please, don’t.”
“This is all new to you, isn’t it.”
Pam nodded.
“And those people with Far Sight are training you.”
Another nod, another small wave of tears. “They all but own me.”
Tess beckoned to Pam and held her, wincing slightly. “Okay. Well if it makes you feel better, my family isn’t really on speaking terms with me either. They have a better reason. I, I, no, I simply can’t tell you yet. But how about this. We both need a friend. I will be yours if you are mine.”
Pam wiped one eye, “Okay.”
“Good, now when you are feeling better and I am feeling better I will help train you. If you have a minder, well I will talk with Alicia. I guess my fate it tied with Earth’s now.”
Pam gave her a huge hug. And cried.
-------
Liz-
Liz was finally calming down. The shower had helped.
And once she went downstairs and got her mom, they would go to Maria’s and she would see Max. Hopefully he would have answers. Or something.
She wrapped her towel around her and entered her room.
She knew immediately she was not alone. She tilted her head to the side and a heavy knife slammed into the wall beside her.
It would have gone right into her head.
“Now that I have your attention, bitch.”
It was the man she had seen from the Crashdown. And in front of him was her cache of alien weapons. He had been examining them. She lifted her hand and tried to use her power to grab one.
He waved what looked like a crystalline sword and somehow blocked her. “Now, now, now, can’t let you have any of your toys. Do your friends know you have these? Somehow I doubt it.” In his other hand he held a familiar gem.
Her Aide.
“Why are you here?”
He smiled, “Oh, don’t play coy with me. You already know what you are. I can see the fear in your eyes. You haven’t killed yet. I can sense that too. But this is the day. They day those thugs of Nicholas attack you. The day you kill. The first time you feed.” His smile was sympathetic. “Wouldn’t you prefer to still be human, still be the perfect Liz Parker and not some hideous monster before you die? Why don’t you just accept it.”
Strange electric currents flowed over the Aide she had poured so much of her anguish and pain into . So much of her recent trauma, all placed into that alien gem.
He was using that against her! He was… he was….
He was right. This was the point in time where she had to choose. Where her new destiny would progress from. And if she chose to continue, she would feed. She would kill.
It was part of her. An inescapable part of her. She looked at her palms, at the glowing light that came forth.
“You are from another time. Another world. Aren’t you.”
“Yes. In my world you go on, much like you are now. You will be attacked and you will defend yourself. And you will destroy them. It will complete the changes Ana started in you, make you fully Dadonar. You will hide it from your friends, from your family. But in time they will learn. And they will not accept you. You already know that they won’t. That they will not let a monster be among them.”
Maybe it would be best. To just let him kill her. To let it end. She looked at the crystalline sword. “I take it you will use that?”
He smiled. “Pretty isn’t it? It is the height of anti-Dadonar weapons from my world. Yes, it will cut your hold on reality. You will quite simply cease to exist.”
Tears began to well in her eyes. Already she could feel her possibilities fade. One by one her possible choices, her possible futures began to disappear.
Some people see their lives flash before their eyes before they die. Liz also saw all the possibilities disappear.
Flashes appeared in her mind. Making love to Max. Her children. Graduation. All of life whirled about her, slowly drying up on the point o f sword.
A large part of her wanted it, wanted all of it. She was so young! It wasn’t fair! She wished she had more time.
But in everyone of those future moments the hunger had lurked. Sometimes she had given in, and sometimes she had held out for years. But always the hunger called to her. In the end it was always the same. She would find a way to justify it.
She would kill. And take their hopes and dreams from them. Wouldn’t it simply be better to allow this? To sacrifice herself for the greater good.
Yes. Yes that is what she must do.
Such a small thing.
And in her mind one possible future existed. One without her.
“What do I need to do?”
The man smiled. And told her.
Such a small sacrifice for a better world.
She knelt and awaited the killing blow.
---------
Max
Max stood in front of a bewildered Amy, hands glowing just inches from her breasts.
How could he have been so cold? So cruel to Maria? She had pulled him from the brink that horrible summer. Had saved his sanity.
Had he truly been so paranoid, so protective of his nice life with Liz and his children, that he let Maria’s mother die? Die when he could have easily saved her.
Strange things do happen. Sometimes people get lucky. Its rare, but sometimes remission just happens. They could have taken Amy home. Healed her there.
Instead Max had let her die. Had let the one person who Maria had truly cared for die in agony.
Not in this life.
Not with two Maria’s glaring at him, green eyes flashing.
And so much was different in this timeline. In the other Maria’s timeline he had never gone to save those children. He had never had to.
He had never healed more than a scrape or bruise until the war happened. Or so the Future version of Maria assured him. He had had a wonderful gift and had let it rot. All to be normal.
There were a few small abnormal cell clusters. Max wasn’t sure they were cancerous. He eliminated them anyway. And then as he had with the children at the hospital, he decided to go for broke.
If he was going to heal her, he might as well heal all of her.
Flashes roared through his head. Protests. The joy of a happy marriage. Maria’s birth. The horrible sense of betrayal of finding that the man she had loved was not who he had lead her to believe.
Their last fight, words and accusations flying. The hard years of taking care of Maria alone.
Amy shuddered and shook. She took a step back. “What did you do to me?”
Max really needed to sit down now. “I healed you.” He turned to face the two Maria’s. “I will have to check, there wasn’t much there but I fixed it. There are some things I can’t fix. But I cleared the major arteries and fixed the tiny amount of lung damage.” He turned to face Amy, “Although it would help if you finally completely stopped smoking….”
“Mom!” came the younger Maria’s cry.
The older Maria just chuckled and shook her head. “Stressed out?”
“Yes, wouldn’t you be if you found out. Found out your little baby girl has super powers and isn’t really human anymore. That her boyfriend and most of her friends are less human than she is and… Yes I think I can safely say I am STRESSED!”
There was banter between them. But he didn’t pay any attention. Not even when Michael became involved.
Something was wrong with Liz. He could feel as she slowly gave up. As she fell into a deep sense of despair and prepared to die.
No! No he couldn’t let her…..
Pain the likes of which he had never known ripped through him. He felt as the heavy blade plunged deep into her chest, into her beating heart. Felt the sudden chill as it began to erase Liz from existence.
He felt every bit of agony as Liz’s soul was destroyed, as a part of him was forever sundered.
For she wasn’t just dead. Wasn’t just separated from him by the wall that keeps the living from the dead. He hadn’t known there was a difference. Hadn’t known that it would matter.
But even with the heavy tang that death brought, there was still the hope of redemption. Still the hope that maybe, somewhere you could be reunited.
Liz was gone. Even his memories of her began to feel… flat. As if part of her had been removed permanently even from them.
He ached to cry out. To scream at the heavens.
But it was simply too much.
Max tried to follow her. Tried to follow his beloved into that emptiness of nothingness she now was. He tried to cease to be.
Had he tried to commit power assisted suicide, perhaps he would have succeeded. But not even the bearer of the Seal of the Granolith could unmake himself.
The Granolith existed to create, to protect, to heal. And so at his request for unmaking it sent him into a deep and restful sleep.
He would be needed.
---------
Sean-
Sean pushed the cart that had all the supplies they would need. And underneath all of that Natalie’s body.
Aeron was taking him to the place she had been born. To the place she had once called home.
Richard, of course was walking with them. He was supposedly supervising them on some task. In any event, the few times they had been stopped down her he had taken the person aside and they had left.
Bribery? Persuasion? Alien Mind control?
Sean didn’t know. Just that having him along had saved them so much trouble.
Aeron nervously lead them to what appeared to be a blank wall. “No ones watching us are they?”
Sean shook his head. He couldn’t see anyone.
Richard said, “No,” He had been quiet the last day or so. Maybe rethinking his part in this whole enterprise. Maybe he hadn’t believed that Aeron really had known where Natalie had lain.
Aeron’s nervousness was starting to rub off on him. Sometimes, he almost felt he could feel her. That he could sense where she was. Without looking.
Kyle’s warnings about how the Abyss would slowly take over his life returned.
No. If this were the price for Aeron he would willingly pay it. Just as eagerly as he would have for Karis.
A small sense of shame filled him. He hadn’t thought of her at all today. His fallen love.
No his thoughts had been on Aeron and on their crazy task.
And he had called Guerin whipped.
Aeron placed her hand on the wall. And it opened.
Sean shook his head and followed Ava with the cart. He’d be so happy for this to be done. This cart was heavy.
He bumped into a stopped Aeron. She was shaking slightly, hand raised towards another man.
The spitting image of Guerin. Only his face was scarred and he was wearing fatigues.
Trouble.
He reached for the gun that Richard had hidden for him in the cart.
The Michael look-a-like said quietly, “Aeron, I don’t mean harm. I need your help.”
“Rath, you said quite enough the last time we met.”
He nodded. “I go by Garit now. I know. I am trying to make amends. That and rescue Lonnie. Please, come in.” And he turned his back and went deeper into the complex.
Sean whispered, “What now?”
“I don’t know.” Said Aeron.
Richard did not put his gun away, but said, “It can not hurt to hear him out.”
Aeron just nodded.
And they followed Rath.
--------
Isabel-
Isabel reluctantly left the hospital with the older Alex.
She still wasn’t sure that she could actually bring herself to kill Liz. Even if Liz had indeed become some sort of monster, she had still saved Michael and Maria. And she had helped them all on so many occasions in the last year or so.
Without Liz, Isabel would never have approached Alex. Would never have known him.
And Max. How could she ever look Max in the eyes if she killed Liz. She wouldn’t understand if Max killed Alex, she knew that much.
Max would want to save her.
“There has to be another way.”
“I wish there was. Unfortunately we couldn’t go any further back than this. If we could stop Ana…. It was her meddling we think that messed Liz up.”
“Emily.”
“Yes, in part. Some of what she is comes from her yes. But some is also from Max and his handiwork. And some is simply innate. Ana tried to make a certain style of Mithar off of her. A Thresta, fearsome warriors and an excellent addition to her cadre. But somewhere she made a mistake and we don’t really know what it is. Maybe if we knew we could cure her. But…..”
“Alex, I don’t think I can kill her.”
“If I have to, I will do it myself. We don’t know if that will actually work. I’m not fully here, just sort of being projected here by the Granolith. The more changes the harder it will be for me to stay. Until eventually I get pulled back. We’re not sure if any direct physical action will get removed as well. Maybe. Maybe not. But if you can’t…..”
“Seriously, can’t we just think about this? Or maybe talk to the others.” Isabel was nervously playing with her hair as Alex opened the door to his rental car. She slid in.
Alex got into the drivers seat and drove off.
“No, they will have enough problems. A version of Maria from the first timeline will keep them busy. They won’t have time to help or to interfere.”
“This is just wrong. She hasn’t done anything yet.”
Alex glanced at her through the mirror. “But she will. Those hunger pangs are supposed to be worse than heroin. She will give in. Its only a matter of time.”
They drove in silence for a few moments. And Alex pulled up to the Crashdown. “If we get her here, she won’t have run into those dumb thugs. She won’t have fed.” He turned and looked at Isabel seriously, “If this goes badly. If she gets me, run. She is never more powerful than right after she has fed.”
“You think, you think she would kill. Kill us?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know how deep into the hunger pangs she is. She almost killed Maria once. She stopped before she had gone to far, but…..”
“Oh. My. God. She fed on Maria?”
“By accident, but it did happen. If we are a threat to her, well….”
Sudden knowledge bloomed in her head. “She killed me didn’t she? I attacked her and she…..”
Alex’s eyes were in tears. “Yes. She didn’t, she didn’t consume you. She let you die. But yes. She drank all of your life essence until you died. And if we don’t stop her, she will again. Come on. She should be on her deck. If our timing is right she will be writing in her journal.”
They moved to the back. Alex waved his hands and the ladder rolled silently down.
“You have powers?”
Alex said, “When I wake, I won’t be normal, I won’t be like the others, but I will have gifts of a sort. Now, Shhh.” He began to climb.
She followed and smiled when he helped her up the last bit. Isabel looked either way. No Liz.
Alex sighed, “Must be early. You mind peeking into the window? She takes a shower and gets dressed right before she writes in her journal.”
Isabel nodded. She crept up to the window. It was open despite the cold. She pulled back the curtains and saw a Liz kneeling on the floor in a towel. She had a look of weary resignation on her face.
A man with a blue-green gem in one hand and a crystalline sword in the other stood over Liz. On his face was a cruel smile as he slowly touched the sword to slightly above Liz’s left breast. A tiny red trickle flowed from the small wound into the white towel.
Where the sword touched a small circle of pure whiteness radiated, slowly eating at Liz’s skin. The sword began to glow with a heavy blueness.
Liz looked briefly at Isabel and then at the man. “Finish me.” She raised her hands up in supplication, “I accept my oblivion at your hands.”
Isabel just stood there in complete shock. “What?”
Alex was at her side in a flash. “NO! Don’t do this!”
The man thrust the crystalline sword deep into Liz’s chest. Into her heart.
Liz just gasped, white mist escaping her throat. The whiteness flashed rapidly across her body. Even the blood that poured out of Liz’s body was white.
Isabel could hear a piercing scream. It took moments for it to realize that it was hers.
Liz didn’t make a sound. But Isabel could see her eyes. Could see the agony as her friend was destroyed. As the whiteness began to drift to the floor, her body turning to white dust.
And then gone.
Nothing was left behind. Nothing.
In the mans left hand, white dust drifted from where Liz’s Aide had once been. It had been part of her. And she was gone. The sword in his right was no longer clear. It had a heavy bluish aura about it.
Alex was yelling. “How could you? Do you know what you have just done?”
“I have destroyed her. Now there are two timelines without her pesky soul. Gone. Doesn’t that fill you with joy Whitman? That your wife has been avenged?”
“Not like this! Not with the Soul Razor!”
The man said nothing but swung the sword hard at Alex.
Alex dodged. He tossed a couple of blasts at the enemy. To no discernable effect. Alex pulled back a little and drew a gun.
The enemy ignored Alex and lunged at Isabel. She backed up and tripped over one of Liz’s chaise lounges. She just couldn’t stop screaming!
The man crawled out of the room and stood above her.
She blasted him, but for some reason, her blasts were as ineffective as Alex’s.
The man stood above her and grinned. “They will pay me almost as much for you my dear Vilandra.” He lifted it up and prepared to stab her….
Crack!
Alex had shot him!
The man stiffened and grunted in pain. He looked down at her and said. “Stay…….”
It reverberated about her mind. She had to obey. She HAD to. So she just lay there and watched.
The man dodged Alex’s other shots. “I must say, I am not sure I am going to return this sword. Using Parker’s Gifts…. Very intoxicating.”
“What could they possibly have offered you? That you would side with Them?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Immortality and riches beyond my wildest dream. The fact I would be on the winning side for a change.”
“You think they will let you live? They will betray you.”
“Not while I have this,” He raised the glowing blue blade. “You know, I am tired of this. Tired of your moralizing. You miss your wife, Whitman. Don’t you think it is time to join her?”
Alex was shaking his head. But the gun he had in his hand was slowly moving up to his head.
“Go on Alex. Put yourself out of our misery.”
Isabel closed her eyes. She heard a gunshot.
She simply could not open her eyes. Not now.
“Open your eyes Princess. Time to join your friend in oblivion.”
She rallied all she was, and she prepared a massive attack. She opened her eyes and watched as the blade began to fall. It would take her right in the stomach.
She launched her blistering attack and the sword stopped right above her belly.
The man just stared at the sword, locked in his motion. “No. NO! This is impossible. Impossible…..” Lightning poured from the blade and consumed him.
Isabel watched as an after image of him fought being dragged into the blade. Fought and failed.
Finally she could move.
The man was completely consumed and his singed clothes drifted to the ground. The blade landed with an unnatural clunk.
Isabel got up and held the blade. For some reason it made her feel better.
And that is how they found her. Upstairs alone, holding a glowing blue sword. And crying. Crying so very hard.
Re: IDS - Redemption (CC ALL, Teen/Mature) Part 7 - 05/02/10
Thanks again to everyone reading this story. This part is not as dramatic, merely a transition chapter. Still I hope you enjoy.
chanks_girl- Thanks. Liz was critical to their success. It remains to be seen what they can do now.
keepsmiling7- Thanks
RhondaAnn- The weapon that destroyed Liz is called a Soulrazor. It does more than just kill someone as you may begin to notice in this part. The person who destroyed Liz was a close associate of Alex's. One who was an ally, albeit one who had unsavory friends. What he did was a form of betrayal of everything Alex stood for. As for Isabel's troubles with the sword, well they are just beginning. And I think you may find them different from what you may first expect.
xmag- Thanks. Liz was highly crucial to their chances of survival and success. So they will begin to experience some difficulties at some point.
AvalonRose- Thanks. We shall see. I should note that not all of Liz is in the sword. Just the parts of her that still exist.
Disclaimer- Roswell is not mine and no infringement is intended.
Redemption Part 8
Aeron-
Aeron followed Rath, no Garit deeper into the underground mansion that Natalie had made for them all those years ago.
Aeron had forgotten how much she had missed it.
Her eyes flitted again to the wedding portrait above the fireplace. Zan and Ava.
Hard to believe that she had been one of those beings in the painting. She had been so young…..
Aeron chuckled. Ava had in fact, been older than she was now. But compared to the others, she had been the young inexperienced, somewhat naïve addition.
That she was Mithar hadn’t really helped either. Vilandra had hated her race for so long. Had petitioned against them for the destruction of Drimordjian. It had taken weeks to get the woman to see her and her family as what they were.
Loyal subjects.
Not all the Mithar had wanted to rebel. Not all the Mithar had wished to conquer the Rhyajhaelians. Certainly her father had worked hard enough behind the scenes.
Not that it hadn’t stopped the damn Taran army from ransacking her home. It had only been her talents that had kept herself and her mother safe. Aeron closed her eyes and once again heard the screams of anguish as one of her former playmates was raped and killed.
Too far for Ava to protect.
She herself had been saved by another detachment of more reliable Tarans. An up and coming commander who would one day become quite prominent.
Rath. It had been Rath who had saved Ava those long years ago. And that was what kept Aeron here. That memory of him. The thought that his past memories would be slowly working their way into dense skull. That he would remember who he had been.
Remember the honor that had once been his pride.
Rath reentered the room, a pot of coffee and some pastries in his arms. He set them down on the table. “Sorry, guys. I hadn’t really expected to have so much of a crowd. In fact I am happy to see you. What brings you back, Aeron.”
Aeron looked back and smiled at a grim faced Sean. “Show him what is on the cart, Sean.”
Sean man-handled the cart to reveal the hidden body. Natalie.
Rath looked at the body, a mix of shame and guilt pasted on his face. “Is she alive?”
“We were going to use a pair of Balance Stones on her. That should wake her.”
Rath nodded, his eyes still on his fallen Protector. “I want to help.”
“I don’t know, Rath….”
“Garit. I go by Garit now. And I told you I want to help. Let this be a start. Unless some of the other hybrids have joined you?”
“No. But…..”
Richard spoke up, “Aeron, if anything the two of you together will be more effective than either Sean or I. You actually know her, and both of you will want her back I think.” He was looking intently at Garit. “But I think it is important that we lay all our cards on the table first. Namely, what does he gain from this.”
Rath/Garit nodded. “If she was awake…. Maybe she can give me some advice, maybe help me.” He looked up and his face was determined. “I need to get Lonnie back. What Nicholas was doing to her….” Rath/Garit shuddered.
Sean said slowly, “Nicholas does need to die. Maybe this guy can help us. If he’s anything like M’s Michael then he’s got a lot of firepower.”
“We’ll need more than one or two hybrids to take him on. Particularly if we are on the attack. He has all those other Skin allies,” Richard added.
Rath/Garit smiled, “Not as many as you might think. Greer at least has separated from Nicholas. And he has most of the surviving Skins on his side. And, when we speak with Max, I have an offer for him. Greer wants a ceasefire at the very least with him. Maybe an alliance against Nicholas if they can breach the trust barrier. Maybe we can pin that damn half pint to the wall. Heaven’s Light, I hated him enough on Antar to….” He looked abashedly at Aeron.
“It’s been happening to me to. The memories are returning. And yet….”
“You are still you. Yeah. I’m still me too. Still myself.” He shook his head. “I guess we were the defective batch after all.”
Sean fixed himself a cup of coffee and then made one for Aeron. He handed it to her and gave her a small kiss before going back to drink his own.
Aeron looked back at him. Loyal Sean. She could feel his willingness to back her come rain or shine. “I am not so sure. The others…. They don’t have the memories. They are all vague and yet…..”
“They are the real deal.” Rath/Garit smiled, “Well come on. Sit down and we can talk. I have a feeling that we will be busy once we recover Natalie.”
Aeron sat down at the table and took a sip of her coffee. Perfect. She looked again at her Sean. Things were only getting better.
-------
Alex
Alex stared off in the distance. Still with him was the girl. “What was your name?”
“Does it matter? I didn’t even make it into adulthood. Killed because my father was a minor noble.”
“That just sucks. But I want to know what to call you. I have been her for a few days, and I still don’t really know your name.”
“Alex, you couldn’t really pronounce it anyway. The human palate…..”
He smiled at her in the dim glow. “Then why can I Vilandra or Ava or Zan?”
“They are humanized approximations.” She sighed. “You can make most of our sounds, just like we can make most of yours. It would be hard, but it could be done. I guess if I did the same as those others, Saravinda. Sara good I guess.”
“Sara?” Alex patted her on the shoulder, “I like that name.”
Sara smiled for a moment and then looked apprehensive, “Will you choose me when I am born? Will you name me, name me Sara?”
“When you are born?”
“It is why I am here. I don’t know if the others will come, not unless he Calls them. But I have watched you and Vilandra, and, and I owe her. I owe her and I love her. And I have come to love you. I am so happy that you found each other!”
Alex just stared confusedly at Sara. “So you expect to be born from Isabel?”
“Not exactly. This pod, this pod contains your commingled DNA. When you leave, I will, I will disappear into the pod. And become a person again. I haven’t done it yet, because I knew you would need me. Need someone to watch over you while you were stuck here.
I honestly thought I would be first.” Sara looked at the fully glowing pod, one that now had a tiny embryo inside of it. “But someone else beat me to the punch. I don’t fully know who it is, it’s not one of us. But the soul is Antaran. That much I do know.”
“So what will happen to you? I mean if you activate the pod. Will I ever see you again?”
“You are leaving soon, aren’t you?”
Alex sighed and nodded. “I am not happy having to work for Khivar. We don’t know much about him, but he is the ruler that took over from Max. And he was Vilandra’s lover. On of the other aliens we met said that she betrayed her brother, that she was the cause of the whole massacre.”
Sara shook her head, “It is much more complicated than that. Even I know that, and I was too young to get the whole story. Vilandra, your Isabel, she was not born a Royal. She’s actually Max’s half-sister, on his mother’s side not the father. She was a popular figure at Court, even before the King married her. But she lost a lot when she had Vilandra illegitimately. It was only after the old Queen died and she took her place that she recovered. Vilandra well, she wasn’t treated well at Court. It probably made her slip into radical politics much more easy.
“I don’t know all the details. But Vilandra actually fought as a rebel against the government for some years before Zan persuaded her to give herself up. I do know that Khivar was offered the same pardon, even Vilandra’s hand in marriage….. But he did not accept. It broke her heart.” Sara sighed.
Alex just looked at her strangely.
Sara grinned at him, “Sorry, lots of popular stories of Khivar and Vilandra, and his choice.”
A third voice joined them, “Many variations. Some of them even close to the truth. But that is neither her or now. Decision time, Mr. Whitman. What will you do?”
“I accept your terms.”
The dark skinned man that was Khivar’s avatar on Earth smiled and reached a hand out to Alex. “Grasp my hand.”
Alex turned to Sara who looked at him wistfully, “Goodbye Sara. I will see you later.”
Sara ran over to him and kissed him. “Bye…. Dad.” She turned and ran into one of the pods. It began to glow.
And she was gone.
Alex reached over and took Khivar’s hand…..
And woke to find him holding Dr. Noor’s hand. “Welcome back, son. I really do hope you are able to keep your end of the bargain.”
Alex’s voice was hoarse, “Where is Isabel?”
Dr. Noor shook his head, “I don’t know. There was another gentleman here, a relative of yours by looks who was with her before. Where she is now I don’t know. But I do know this. She does love you. Don’t hurt her, understand? I will be watching.” Dr. Noor left the room.
Alex stared up at the ceiling. Something felt…. Different. Almost as if he could feel something manipulating his memories.
He shook his head. He couldn’t wait until he saw Isabel again. Isabel and Maria. Max, Michael, everyone in their little group. Even Tess. He was even looking forward to seeing Tess again. Maybe he could find out why people were trying to kill her.
He was smiling as he thought of his friends and loved ones.
And while he did feel like something was missing, like he was forgetting something or someone, he never noticed that not once did he think of Liz.
-------
Across the world the universe was trying to heal itself. For a paradox had formed on Liz’s porch.
Things die everyday. Things break and they fall apart.
They are not unmade.
Even entropy follows the laws of conservation, things simply move from more complex and useful things to less complex and valuable things. Strictly speaking matter is not conserved. Bits of it are converted to energy all the time. And energy is conserved.
Liz Parker was not killed. She was unmade.
While much of her potential had gone into the sword, her soul had been destroyed. It no longer existed. In fact, it had never existed at all. Not now.
-------
Maria-
Maria rushed to Max’s side. What had just happened.
Maria felt as something….. Changed. She couldn’t explain it, but something was…. Gone. Something precious. Something she had loved.
She shook her head as she strained to remember…..
But it was gone.
Michael was looking after a now collapsed Max. Maria walked over to her beloved and supported him. Neither of them were good at healing. But if they worked together they might be able to help him a little.
Poor Max.
Maria looked up at Michael and thanked God for him. He might be far from ideal, but he was better than nothing. Better than what Max had. She sometimes wondered at the strength he’d shown in resisting Tess.
Well that bitch had eventually shown her true colors, even if she had been of some help at times.
Maria vaguely remembered a girl that Max had cared for, someone who Max had loved. But just as quickly it was gone.
Her future self stood there holding her head, “Something happened. Its hard to hold on now. Something major has changed. Do you have any clue?”
“No, but Max might have. We’ll just have to wake him up.”
The older woman was shaking with tension, “Well I am not going to last. I will be back and meet with you again.”
Amy hugged the older woman. “Thank you. I find this incredibly bizarre but…..”
Future Maria said, “I love you, Mom.” And disappeared from Amy’s hug.
Amy turned to face Maria, a tear in her eye, “I take it things like this happen often?”
Maria smiled, “Nothing this dramatic.”
“Maria, a hand here?” Michael said.
Maria walked over and the two of them woke Max.
Max’s eyes opened. They were full of pain.
Maria smiled wanly, “What happened?”
Max sat up, “ I-I don’t know. I feel like something was torn from me. But I-I don’t know what.”
Maria looked around the room. “Well, if you can remember anything, please let me know. We are all here for you.” She sighed, “We’ve been working at this Book all morning. Why don’t we go visit with Isabel and Alex at the hospital. All of us together.”
Max’s voice was sad, “Yeah. That sounds good.”
Michael spoke up a tiny bit of confusion in his voice, “Weren’t we supposed to be meeting someone here? Shouldn’t we wait for them?”
Maria looked over at Amy, “Mom? Was the Sherriff coming over?”
“I think Nancy Parker is coming over for something. You kids go ahead. I doubt she will need anything from you.”
There were glances and shrugs. And they left.
But Maria couldn’t quite shake that feeling that she was missing something.
--------
Isabel-
Isabel shook with emotion as the vision of her friend disappearing into nothingness played again and again in her head. How could that have happened? And what exactly had happened to her.
That had not been natural in the extreme. And Future Alex’s reaction of utter horror….. That stuck with her as well. Why had he been so horrified at what had been done.
Isabel was still clutching the sword, the crystalline weapon that had destroyed Liz. It still throbbed with a dark blue energy.
The remnants of Liz.
And possibly more. The person who had killed Liz had claimed it had taken her abilities. That it had cut them away from her.
Isabel could tell that something was indeed there. For when Mr. and Mrs. Parker had come up to comfort her for her screaming, they had tried to move her. Tried to get her to leave Liz’s balcony.
This place hurt them somehow. They had not looked at any of Liz’s things. Had in fact not even asked about their daughter.
But Isabel had told them to leave her alone.
And they had left.
Isabel knew she could be intimidating. That should could browbeat people into doing things for her.
But not like that. It had never been that easy. Particularly not with adults. But she had told them to go and they had.
Tess could probably do that. And Aeron. But not her, not Isabel.
Liz had though. On more than one occasion she had told someone to do something and they had. Isabel could still remember being commanded to stop the car, to let Liz out so she could fetch the Book.
So maybe this sword gave the user some of the abilities that those it had killed had possessed.
Because that casual command had not been the only thing. Isabel had seen things. Alex being awake. A small child invading her dreams, a child with Isabel’s hair and Alex’s eyes. And more. So much more.
A confusing montage of things flashing before her eyes.
She looked at the crystalline blade and knew one thing. She had to keep it close to her. If it left her possession too long it would disappear to the world it had come from.
And Liz would be gone for good. So she grabbed the now scorched scabbard that the villain had used and with her powers repaired it. It hurt Isabel to put it away, to place it in the sheath.
For she could feel as the world tried to steal away her memories of her friend. As it tried to adjust her memories to remove Liz.
But just as she had formed a link to Alex on that horrible day last November, she clung to the shattered remnants of Liz. Bound herself to them.
And swore she would return Liz to the world.
There would still be problems and issues. Chief of which might very well be the reason Isabel had been there to witness the whole scene. That Liz might have become a monster.
Isabel would deal with that latter.
Alex was awake. She needed to talk to him. Needed to feel his arms around her.
To taste a bit of life after all the death and destruction she had witnessed today.
Isabel self consciously adjusted the sword. What would people say? Even safe in a scabbard it would still look strange.
So she grabbed the towel Liz had worn when she died. There was still a tiny bit of blood near the top. Liz’s blood. She stared at it for just a brief moment.
Part of the blood was grayish, as if the color was slowly leaking out of it. Just like it had Liz before she had died. Before she had turned to a white dust that had vanished in turn.
Something she would have to investigate. Maybe it held secrets of what had been done to Liz.
With a sense of purpose Isabel left the Parker’s apartment. In one hand she had a towel, in the other a sword in a scabbard.
No one paid her any attention.
chanks_girl- Thanks. Liz was critical to their success. It remains to be seen what they can do now.
keepsmiling7- Thanks
RhondaAnn- The weapon that destroyed Liz is called a Soulrazor. It does more than just kill someone as you may begin to notice in this part. The person who destroyed Liz was a close associate of Alex's. One who was an ally, albeit one who had unsavory friends. What he did was a form of betrayal of everything Alex stood for. As for Isabel's troubles with the sword, well they are just beginning. And I think you may find them different from what you may first expect.
xmag- Thanks. Liz was highly crucial to their chances of survival and success. So they will begin to experience some difficulties at some point.
AvalonRose- Thanks. We shall see. I should note that not all of Liz is in the sword. Just the parts of her that still exist.
Disclaimer- Roswell is not mine and no infringement is intended.
Redemption Part 8
Aeron-
Aeron followed Rath, no Garit deeper into the underground mansion that Natalie had made for them all those years ago.
Aeron had forgotten how much she had missed it.
Her eyes flitted again to the wedding portrait above the fireplace. Zan and Ava.
Hard to believe that she had been one of those beings in the painting. She had been so young…..
Aeron chuckled. Ava had in fact, been older than she was now. But compared to the others, she had been the young inexperienced, somewhat naïve addition.
That she was Mithar hadn’t really helped either. Vilandra had hated her race for so long. Had petitioned against them for the destruction of Drimordjian. It had taken weeks to get the woman to see her and her family as what they were.
Loyal subjects.
Not all the Mithar had wanted to rebel. Not all the Mithar had wished to conquer the Rhyajhaelians. Certainly her father had worked hard enough behind the scenes.
Not that it hadn’t stopped the damn Taran army from ransacking her home. It had only been her talents that had kept herself and her mother safe. Aeron closed her eyes and once again heard the screams of anguish as one of her former playmates was raped and killed.
Too far for Ava to protect.
She herself had been saved by another detachment of more reliable Tarans. An up and coming commander who would one day become quite prominent.
Rath. It had been Rath who had saved Ava those long years ago. And that was what kept Aeron here. That memory of him. The thought that his past memories would be slowly working their way into dense skull. That he would remember who he had been.
Remember the honor that had once been his pride.
Rath reentered the room, a pot of coffee and some pastries in his arms. He set them down on the table. “Sorry, guys. I hadn’t really expected to have so much of a crowd. In fact I am happy to see you. What brings you back, Aeron.”
Aeron looked back and smiled at a grim faced Sean. “Show him what is on the cart, Sean.”
Sean man-handled the cart to reveal the hidden body. Natalie.
Rath looked at the body, a mix of shame and guilt pasted on his face. “Is she alive?”
“We were going to use a pair of Balance Stones on her. That should wake her.”
Rath nodded, his eyes still on his fallen Protector. “I want to help.”
“I don’t know, Rath….”
“Garit. I go by Garit now. And I told you I want to help. Let this be a start. Unless some of the other hybrids have joined you?”
“No. But…..”
Richard spoke up, “Aeron, if anything the two of you together will be more effective than either Sean or I. You actually know her, and both of you will want her back I think.” He was looking intently at Garit. “But I think it is important that we lay all our cards on the table first. Namely, what does he gain from this.”
Rath/Garit nodded. “If she was awake…. Maybe she can give me some advice, maybe help me.” He looked up and his face was determined. “I need to get Lonnie back. What Nicholas was doing to her….” Rath/Garit shuddered.
Sean said slowly, “Nicholas does need to die. Maybe this guy can help us. If he’s anything like M’s Michael then he’s got a lot of firepower.”
“We’ll need more than one or two hybrids to take him on. Particularly if we are on the attack. He has all those other Skin allies,” Richard added.
Rath/Garit smiled, “Not as many as you might think. Greer at least has separated from Nicholas. And he has most of the surviving Skins on his side. And, when we speak with Max, I have an offer for him. Greer wants a ceasefire at the very least with him. Maybe an alliance against Nicholas if they can breach the trust barrier. Maybe we can pin that damn half pint to the wall. Heaven’s Light, I hated him enough on Antar to….” He looked abashedly at Aeron.
“It’s been happening to me to. The memories are returning. And yet….”
“You are still you. Yeah. I’m still me too. Still myself.” He shook his head. “I guess we were the defective batch after all.”
Sean fixed himself a cup of coffee and then made one for Aeron. He handed it to her and gave her a small kiss before going back to drink his own.
Aeron looked back at him. Loyal Sean. She could feel his willingness to back her come rain or shine. “I am not so sure. The others…. They don’t have the memories. They are all vague and yet…..”
“They are the real deal.” Rath/Garit smiled, “Well come on. Sit down and we can talk. I have a feeling that we will be busy once we recover Natalie.”
Aeron sat down at the table and took a sip of her coffee. Perfect. She looked again at her Sean. Things were only getting better.
-------
Alex
Alex stared off in the distance. Still with him was the girl. “What was your name?”
“Does it matter? I didn’t even make it into adulthood. Killed because my father was a minor noble.”
“That just sucks. But I want to know what to call you. I have been her for a few days, and I still don’t really know your name.”
“Alex, you couldn’t really pronounce it anyway. The human palate…..”
He smiled at her in the dim glow. “Then why can I Vilandra or Ava or Zan?”
“They are humanized approximations.” She sighed. “You can make most of our sounds, just like we can make most of yours. It would be hard, but it could be done. I guess if I did the same as those others, Saravinda. Sara good I guess.”
“Sara?” Alex patted her on the shoulder, “I like that name.”
Sara smiled for a moment and then looked apprehensive, “Will you choose me when I am born? Will you name me, name me Sara?”
“When you are born?”
“It is why I am here. I don’t know if the others will come, not unless he Calls them. But I have watched you and Vilandra, and, and I owe her. I owe her and I love her. And I have come to love you. I am so happy that you found each other!”
Alex just stared confusedly at Sara. “So you expect to be born from Isabel?”
“Not exactly. This pod, this pod contains your commingled DNA. When you leave, I will, I will disappear into the pod. And become a person again. I haven’t done it yet, because I knew you would need me. Need someone to watch over you while you were stuck here.
I honestly thought I would be first.” Sara looked at the fully glowing pod, one that now had a tiny embryo inside of it. “But someone else beat me to the punch. I don’t fully know who it is, it’s not one of us. But the soul is Antaran. That much I do know.”
“So what will happen to you? I mean if you activate the pod. Will I ever see you again?”
“You are leaving soon, aren’t you?”
Alex sighed and nodded. “I am not happy having to work for Khivar. We don’t know much about him, but he is the ruler that took over from Max. And he was Vilandra’s lover. On of the other aliens we met said that she betrayed her brother, that she was the cause of the whole massacre.”
Sara shook her head, “It is much more complicated than that. Even I know that, and I was too young to get the whole story. Vilandra, your Isabel, she was not born a Royal. She’s actually Max’s half-sister, on his mother’s side not the father. She was a popular figure at Court, even before the King married her. But she lost a lot when she had Vilandra illegitimately. It was only after the old Queen died and she took her place that she recovered. Vilandra well, she wasn’t treated well at Court. It probably made her slip into radical politics much more easy.
“I don’t know all the details. But Vilandra actually fought as a rebel against the government for some years before Zan persuaded her to give herself up. I do know that Khivar was offered the same pardon, even Vilandra’s hand in marriage….. But he did not accept. It broke her heart.” Sara sighed.
Alex just looked at her strangely.
Sara grinned at him, “Sorry, lots of popular stories of Khivar and Vilandra, and his choice.”
A third voice joined them, “Many variations. Some of them even close to the truth. But that is neither her or now. Decision time, Mr. Whitman. What will you do?”
“I accept your terms.”
The dark skinned man that was Khivar’s avatar on Earth smiled and reached a hand out to Alex. “Grasp my hand.”
Alex turned to Sara who looked at him wistfully, “Goodbye Sara. I will see you later.”
Sara ran over to him and kissed him. “Bye…. Dad.” She turned and ran into one of the pods. It began to glow.
And she was gone.
Alex reached over and took Khivar’s hand…..
And woke to find him holding Dr. Noor’s hand. “Welcome back, son. I really do hope you are able to keep your end of the bargain.”
Alex’s voice was hoarse, “Where is Isabel?”
Dr. Noor shook his head, “I don’t know. There was another gentleman here, a relative of yours by looks who was with her before. Where she is now I don’t know. But I do know this. She does love you. Don’t hurt her, understand? I will be watching.” Dr. Noor left the room.
Alex stared up at the ceiling. Something felt…. Different. Almost as if he could feel something manipulating his memories.
He shook his head. He couldn’t wait until he saw Isabel again. Isabel and Maria. Max, Michael, everyone in their little group. Even Tess. He was even looking forward to seeing Tess again. Maybe he could find out why people were trying to kill her.
He was smiling as he thought of his friends and loved ones.
And while he did feel like something was missing, like he was forgetting something or someone, he never noticed that not once did he think of Liz.
-------
Across the world the universe was trying to heal itself. For a paradox had formed on Liz’s porch.
Things die everyday. Things break and they fall apart.
They are not unmade.
Even entropy follows the laws of conservation, things simply move from more complex and useful things to less complex and valuable things. Strictly speaking matter is not conserved. Bits of it are converted to energy all the time. And energy is conserved.
Liz Parker was not killed. She was unmade.
While much of her potential had gone into the sword, her soul had been destroyed. It no longer existed. In fact, it had never existed at all. Not now.
-------
Maria-
Maria rushed to Max’s side. What had just happened.
Maria felt as something….. Changed. She couldn’t explain it, but something was…. Gone. Something precious. Something she had loved.
She shook her head as she strained to remember…..
But it was gone.
Michael was looking after a now collapsed Max. Maria walked over to her beloved and supported him. Neither of them were good at healing. But if they worked together they might be able to help him a little.
Poor Max.
Maria looked up at Michael and thanked God for him. He might be far from ideal, but he was better than nothing. Better than what Max had. She sometimes wondered at the strength he’d shown in resisting Tess.
Well that bitch had eventually shown her true colors, even if she had been of some help at times.
Maria vaguely remembered a girl that Max had cared for, someone who Max had loved. But just as quickly it was gone.
Her future self stood there holding her head, “Something happened. Its hard to hold on now. Something major has changed. Do you have any clue?”
“No, but Max might have. We’ll just have to wake him up.”
The older woman was shaking with tension, “Well I am not going to last. I will be back and meet with you again.”
Amy hugged the older woman. “Thank you. I find this incredibly bizarre but…..”
Future Maria said, “I love you, Mom.” And disappeared from Amy’s hug.
Amy turned to face Maria, a tear in her eye, “I take it things like this happen often?”
Maria smiled, “Nothing this dramatic.”
“Maria, a hand here?” Michael said.
Maria walked over and the two of them woke Max.
Max’s eyes opened. They were full of pain.
Maria smiled wanly, “What happened?”
Max sat up, “ I-I don’t know. I feel like something was torn from me. But I-I don’t know what.”
Maria looked around the room. “Well, if you can remember anything, please let me know. We are all here for you.” She sighed, “We’ve been working at this Book all morning. Why don’t we go visit with Isabel and Alex at the hospital. All of us together.”
Max’s voice was sad, “Yeah. That sounds good.”
Michael spoke up a tiny bit of confusion in his voice, “Weren’t we supposed to be meeting someone here? Shouldn’t we wait for them?”
Maria looked over at Amy, “Mom? Was the Sherriff coming over?”
“I think Nancy Parker is coming over for something. You kids go ahead. I doubt she will need anything from you.”
There were glances and shrugs. And they left.
But Maria couldn’t quite shake that feeling that she was missing something.
--------
Isabel-
Isabel shook with emotion as the vision of her friend disappearing into nothingness played again and again in her head. How could that have happened? And what exactly had happened to her.
That had not been natural in the extreme. And Future Alex’s reaction of utter horror….. That stuck with her as well. Why had he been so horrified at what had been done.
Isabel was still clutching the sword, the crystalline weapon that had destroyed Liz. It still throbbed with a dark blue energy.
The remnants of Liz.
And possibly more. The person who had killed Liz had claimed it had taken her abilities. That it had cut them away from her.
Isabel could tell that something was indeed there. For when Mr. and Mrs. Parker had come up to comfort her for her screaming, they had tried to move her. Tried to get her to leave Liz’s balcony.
This place hurt them somehow. They had not looked at any of Liz’s things. Had in fact not even asked about their daughter.
But Isabel had told them to leave her alone.
And they had left.
Isabel knew she could be intimidating. That should could browbeat people into doing things for her.
But not like that. It had never been that easy. Particularly not with adults. But she had told them to go and they had.
Tess could probably do that. And Aeron. But not her, not Isabel.
Liz had though. On more than one occasion she had told someone to do something and they had. Isabel could still remember being commanded to stop the car, to let Liz out so she could fetch the Book.
So maybe this sword gave the user some of the abilities that those it had killed had possessed.
Because that casual command had not been the only thing. Isabel had seen things. Alex being awake. A small child invading her dreams, a child with Isabel’s hair and Alex’s eyes. And more. So much more.
A confusing montage of things flashing before her eyes.
She looked at the crystalline blade and knew one thing. She had to keep it close to her. If it left her possession too long it would disappear to the world it had come from.
And Liz would be gone for good. So she grabbed the now scorched scabbard that the villain had used and with her powers repaired it. It hurt Isabel to put it away, to place it in the sheath.
For she could feel as the world tried to steal away her memories of her friend. As it tried to adjust her memories to remove Liz.
But just as she had formed a link to Alex on that horrible day last November, she clung to the shattered remnants of Liz. Bound herself to them.
And swore she would return Liz to the world.
There would still be problems and issues. Chief of which might very well be the reason Isabel had been there to witness the whole scene. That Liz might have become a monster.
Isabel would deal with that latter.
Alex was awake. She needed to talk to him. Needed to feel his arms around her.
To taste a bit of life after all the death and destruction she had witnessed today.
Isabel self consciously adjusted the sword. What would people say? Even safe in a scabbard it would still look strange.
So she grabbed the towel Liz had worn when she died. There was still a tiny bit of blood near the top. Liz’s blood. She stared at it for just a brief moment.
Part of the blood was grayish, as if the color was slowly leaking out of it. Just like it had Liz before she had died. Before she had turned to a white dust that had vanished in turn.
Something she would have to investigate. Maybe it held secrets of what had been done to Liz.
With a sense of purpose Isabel left the Parker’s apartment. In one hand she had a towel, in the other a sword in a scabbard.
No one paid her any attention.
Re: IDS - Redemption (CC ALL, Teen/Mature) Part 8 - 05/09/10
Thanks as always to everyone who is following this story. There has been a time skip in this story. Liz has been gone for more than a month by this point.
AvalonRose- Thanks. The group is divided over Liz, as you will see. As for Isabel, can you see her just let a friend's entire existance just disappear?
RhondaAnn- Thank you. All that is left of Liz is her potential, all the strength and energy she could have had. That is still in the sword, along with the Seal that she inherited from her mother, Rose. The part of her that made her Liz, that made her truly a different and unique individual, along with all her knowledge and memories, that is gone. Liz's actions haven't been undone, just her memory. The universe can not truly repair her lose, or the lose of anyone destroyed like that. It can only paper over the would and remove the possiblity that people would notice and cause a paradox. However, your point regarding the alternate timeline is apt. And something very bad might happen because of it.
As for Stephanie, you may well be right. All of it to be explained in future parts. Including who Stephanie is.
Disclaimer- Roswell is not mine and no infringement is intended.
Redemption Part 9
Alex
Alex sighed as he looked across the quad. Things had changed over the last month. And few of those changes had been good.
Tess sat over with her new best friend Pam Troy, consciously ignoring the others. Alex still had financial ties to her. Along with Isabel, they still had control over the little company Tess had made to make Alex’s trip to Las Cruces seem plausible.
Isabel was even slightly cordial during those times when the met over it. But there was little love lost between the two. Isabel was still rightfully angry of what Tess had done to Alex, and in a sense done to her.
It was a dark side of the bonds they shared.
Alex had worked with Michael in improving his mental defenses. For although Max had not healed Alex, something major had happened to him. He had spent time in the Balance and had recovered. But it had marked him, he was no longer normal.
They were not sure exactly what he could do. But he had been able to replicate the exercises Michael had given him. And they worked. Alex had even asked Tess to try him, to test them.
Tess had said that they were fairly strong. She had also given him some tips as well.
Isabel knew, of course, but she never mentioned it.
He was the only one of his old group of friends that still talked to everyone.
Maria and Michael sat at a different table. They had also changed, but mostly for the better. Michael was paying much more attention in school, now that he was fairly certain he was going to stay. They still fought, sometimes bitterly, but somehow they always managed to work their way back together.
Max on the other had was a different story. He usually gravitated between Michael and Maria’s table, and Isabel and Alex’s Today he was at the other table.
The man was a broken wreck. Oh, if you didn’t know him, you might think he was okay. That he was just aloof and shy like he always had been.
But Alex knew better. He knew because of Isabel really. Isabel still had the real memories of what had actually been happening. And that was what had caused the separation between Isabel and Michael.
They still loved each other, still would have the others back. But both of them were at an impasse about it. Michael did not believe in Liz. And Maria had such severe doubts…..
If it wasn’t for that scary sword that Isabel carried everywhere, likely Liz would simply have disappeared. As it was, it was like she had never existed. No one remembered her. She wasn’t on the schedule for the Crashdown. And her parents. That was perhaps the saddest thing.
Her parents claimed that they never had a daughter. Although you could tell that Nancy was conflicted somehow. That something, some lingering memory lurked in her.
Strange.
Alex looked at the picture he had in his hands. It was proof that Isabel wasn’t lying. It was a series of pictures. Only it wasn’t what he had tried before. These pictures had been taken exactly five weeks ago. Five weeks from when Isabel said Liz had been destroyed. And something strange was happening to them.
Liz was fading from them. Not like some cheesy special effect, Sometimes when you looked at them she was there. And sometimes she wasn’t.
She was there less and less often. He was guessing that she would fade out completely when the time synchronized at the exact time the photo was taken.
And she would be gone.
But in older photos she was there. He had actually gone through his collection of photos for Isabel for this very reason.
It oddly did not persuade people. Or they might remember that they vaguely remember her. And promptly forget. Something was making them forget. Something wanted her totally gone.
And it was erasing her slowly from time. Alex had done some hacking, and found that she wasn’t even enlisted in West Roswell for this semester. And while there were mentions of her early in the year from the beginning of the school year, she had no grades.
It was frightening how thorough it all was.
He felt as Isabel began to approach the quad.
Alex wasn’t the only one. Alex watched as the various other members of various cliques began to react to Isabel. Or more likely to the Soul Razor.
Fear. There was an aura of fear around Isabel now. If they had once acted as if she were the Princess Regal, now they acted like she was a Dire Queen.
As always the most dramatic reactions were at Pam and Tess’s table. Pam was utterly terrified of Isabel now. Somehow Tess had put her under her protection. Her and another guy who spent a lot of time with them. Some sort of counselor for Pam.
He smiled as Isabel walked around the corner, her class mates getting out of her way. She was immaculate as always, but there was an edge to her beauty now. It was that damn sword.
It followed her everywhere. Even into her dreams.
But he could not make her give it up. Not when he knew what it held. Not when the gifts the sword gave her told her that she could not let it leave her proximity or it would return from whence it came.
And its masters would come in time to claim their world. And the souls of all who dealt therein.
Alex shivered. He just wished he could take some of the burden from her. He stood and kissed her. “Hey.”
Isabel’s gaze was sharp as it swept the quad.
No one met her snowy gaze. It was hard even for Alex. But he steeled himself as her gaze turned to him, and softened. He stood up and gave her a kiss. “I grabbed lunch for you, and if you hurry you can finish it.”
Isabel shook her head, “I’m not really hungry, Alex. Thank you, though. Did you get the pictures?”
Alex nodded, handing her a banana. She would eat something. He was not about to let her skip another meal.
She smiled and with a little laugh peeled the banana. “You are good for me. Fine, fine. I will eat if you show me what you found.”
Alex smiled. “Okay, your guess is right. She’s in the older pictures, but not in the newer. But the kicker is this. I have a picture from a little more than two months ago. Watch.” He spread the photo of him and Maria smiling at the Crashdown. And suddenly for a few moments there were three of them, a small brunette appearing between him and Maria. Just as suddenly she was gone. “That has been happening with greater and greater frequency, and my guess is that at some point today, Liz won’t be in the picture at all.”
Isabel took the picture and looked at it. “Does it bring any of your memories of her back?”
Alex’s voice was soft and sad, “No. Not the way you mean. It brings some of the memories I get from you, or from what I see in the dreams we share. But nothing else. And the hell of it, is that as far as I can tell you are right. There are a lot of photos of us, a lot of shared things. But I don’t remember her at all. Neither does Maria.”
Isabel stuck to her bargain and finished the banana. She opened the container of yogurt and emptied the sugar into it, swirling it absently. “So you have talked to her recently. What does she think of all this.”
“She doesn’t know. She can’t imagine how she could have forgotten someone so important so quickly. But she has evidence too.” Alex sighed, “She asked after you. Asked if you wanted to catch a movie. Some chick flick.”
Isabel said softly, “I will call her tonight, I promise.”
Alex looked again over at the table with Michael, Maria, and Max. “I just wish this bad blood was all over.”
Isabel looked over at Michael. “Michael wants me to just let her go. Just leave the sword and let her fade away. He says that we won’t be able to move on until I do. Maybe he’s right, but I just can’t. She wouldn’t abandon us, not like this.”
“I wish I could remember her. I wish we knew we could bring her back….” Alex held Isabel, “I just don’t like seeing you like this. And I don’t like that, that thing.”
Isabel adjusted the sword strapped to her back. As always making sure it was close to her.
Alex gave her another peck and sat back down and looked at his love. Maybe Michael was right.
Maybe they should just move on.
But Alex knew Isabel. Isabel would never abandon a friend. Never.
And so the friction continued.
------
Max-
Max had decided against going home after school. He would have only been there for a few hours anyway before going to work.
And hanging out at the Crashdown hurt him somehow.
It was Liz of course. The woman of his dreams. His soul mate.
A girl he could remember only as a never ending ache and emptiness. It was like a part of him had been cut away.
Gone forever.
But he himself was still alive. And each day the ache seemed less. Just a little more bearable. His soul a little less empty.
Which had brought him here, watching as the Tennis team practiced. She was the only one of his sister’s friends who actually did much in the way of sports.
Much for the same reason Isabel did all of her own charity work. It looked good to colleges. Max knew that Isabel enjoyed working at the charity places, so he assumed that Vanessa enjoyed tennis too.
She certainly looked like she was enjoying it.
He certainly was enjoying watching her play. Max had noticed her down the hallways, had felt a distant stirring inside of him.
She had made a play for him once. And someone had pushed her aside. He couldn’t remember who, which made it all but certain it had been Liz. That Liz had been territorial with him, and that she had loved him back.
But she was gone. Gone so completely that nothing was left.
And he was here. Watching Vanessa play tennis.
If he could work up his courage, he would ask her out. Maybe today.
Maybe today he would begin to follow Michael’s advice and just move on. It wasn’t like he planned on bringing her into the abyss. That would be much too dangerous, for her and for him.
But a date. Maybe eventually a kiss.
Max watched her toned and tanned body move under her somewhat brief athletic attire.
Yes, maybe a kiss or two. And who knew. The others had found someone. Maybe it was time for him to start looking.
For the first time in a long time, a smile crept up on to his face.
Yes, it was time to start today. Time to start to live again.
Max waited for Vanessa’s practice to end.
-------
Maria
Maria stood up after crawling through the space to the Granolith chamber. They really needed to enlarge that. She absently used her powers to clean of the debris that had got onto her clothes.
Michael began to stalk about, poking into corners.
Maria sighed. Her Spaceboy had gotten better, but he still slipped back into his closed off ways. At least he had brought her with him.
Too bad he hadn’t paid attention to her suggestions that they spend the rare evening they both had off in his apartment. Grab a quick dinner, a couple of movies, and just play.
No, Michael was more in the mood to play detective.
Maria watched as he kept walking around the Chamber. “What are you looking for?”
“There has to be an access chamber here somewhere.”
“An access chamber to where exactly?” Although Maria did have an idea.
Alex had told them of his strange journey. Of the groupings of pods, the strange lighting above them, and meeting Sara.
Michael had been looking for it ever since.
The thing was, they didn’t even know if it was actually a real place. Although, Amil Noor certainly was real. Maria shivered. To think that they actually had a walking and talking representative of Khivar working at the local hospital.
She had actually talked with a representation of Khivar. And the man had seemed so charming and normal. His wife had actually brought them all cookies, good homemade cookies.
Max had even healed the human child of Khivar’s host. Which had to be the strangest thing she would have ever thought possible.
But then, Max had needed a pick me up at the time. And healing people really helped him somehow. It must be a left over trait from Zan. Just like this obsession with understanding everything and needing to pry into every secret was from the old Rath.
“What makes you think you will find them this time? Assuming that they are even there.”
Michael shot her an annoyed look. “You read the Book. You know some of what the Granolith is capable of. If Alex is right, then the sooner we can really prove that it can make an army for us…..”
“You will, what, leave?”
Michael was over to Maria in a flash, “Pixie, I am not going to leave you. But we are so vulnerable now. Practically everyone knows where we are. Hell they know WHEN we are.”
“So you believe Isabel. Believe that someone from the future came to rub out, rub out….” Maria could not remember the name.
“Liz. Her name was Liz. And yes, I believe it. Just like I remember your counter part visiting us a time or two.”
“Yeah.”
“As long as we are vulnerable, they might keep coming. Might keep trying to alter the future. And then there are our simply interstellar enemies. No.” He shook his head dramatically, “If we can build an army, the sooner it gets started, the sooner we are safe.”
Maria just held onto him, never wanted to let go. Because with him she felt safe. And she knew that there was no force that could harm them as long as they were together.
She had continued to practice, and her powers worked seamlessly now. More, the memories from Karis had not faded. They didn’t always directly help Maria, because her powers worked a little differently, but they did help.
Maria doubted she would have been able to get a hang of ins and outs of molecular manipulation without them. Karis had been an excellent chemist, and the mixes that Maria was making now had become a good sideline at her mother’s shop.
Maria smiled and kissed Michael.
That work made her so happy. Not only was it satisfying, making such heavenly aromas. But also being able to finally help her mom out so much.
Michael kissed her back.
Their first time had been on an air mattress not more than twenty yards away. She grinned up at him mischievously. And kissed him again.
It had been a bit more than a week since their last bout of mind blowing sex. And she could tell from his moan as she kissed him that he was more than ready.
She backed away and closed her eyes. And began to Weave. More than her lightning, this was becoming what they considered her gift. A gift wrought in part from her own talents mixed with a dead alien scientists.
Karis, once known as Courtney’s continuing gift. But she had never had the power that flowed through Maria’s veins. Maria pulled in the atmospheric molecules to make her lightweight fabric, rewove the cobwebs and …..
“Maria, we are not having sex in the Granolith Chamber.”
She smiled up at him winsomely, “But we have already christened the Pod Chamber. Might as well add this one to our list.”
She could see him wavering. Amazing how a whole week seemed like forever, to him as much as to herself.
She wanted him, and she wanted him now. She started to undress.
Michael just watched her, his eyes widening as she stripped for him. He looked over at the Granolith with a mixture of petulance and worry. “Maria, this is a holy item to my people.”
Maria felt as her powers finished with the air bed and she pushed down on it, checking to see how firm it was.
Perfect. She clambered on to it. The silky fabric felt so much better than the air mattress they had used months ago. It was firm, but gently yielding. Different from any of the other mattresses she’d ever had.
“And I am sure its seen its share of hanky panky. Now this is getting to be unfair. You seemed to be much to much over dressed for this whole situation.” She leaned back. She had left her lace bra and panties for him to remove.
She propped her self artfully, waiting for him to look back at her.
“But I really wanted to find that doorway.” He said with a touch of a whine, “I’m going to be busy the rest of the week.” But he was removing his shirt.
Better.
“Maybe we will get flashes. You know how they only show up when there’s a ton of emotion. And.”
He was at her side kissing her, kicking off his jeans.
She kissed him back and ran her hands along his body.
Inside she was smiling. She should have thought of the flash angle from the beginning.
He murmured in her ear, “Protection?” He then began to kiss along her neck.
That made it hard for her, but not impossible. She pulled one hand away from his body and using her talents she wove a piece of thing filmy, but impenetrable material. She took the her hand and with her small hands she stroked his erection, building a condom as she went.
And they made love.
AvalonRose- Thanks. The group is divided over Liz, as you will see. As for Isabel, can you see her just let a friend's entire existance just disappear?
RhondaAnn- Thank you. All that is left of Liz is her potential, all the strength and energy she could have had. That is still in the sword, along with the Seal that she inherited from her mother, Rose. The part of her that made her Liz, that made her truly a different and unique individual, along with all her knowledge and memories, that is gone. Liz's actions haven't been undone, just her memory. The universe can not truly repair her lose, or the lose of anyone destroyed like that. It can only paper over the would and remove the possiblity that people would notice and cause a paradox. However, your point regarding the alternate timeline is apt. And something very bad might happen because of it.
As for Stephanie, you may well be right. All of it to be explained in future parts. Including who Stephanie is.
Disclaimer- Roswell is not mine and no infringement is intended.
Redemption Part 9
Alex
Alex sighed as he looked across the quad. Things had changed over the last month. And few of those changes had been good.
Tess sat over with her new best friend Pam Troy, consciously ignoring the others. Alex still had financial ties to her. Along with Isabel, they still had control over the little company Tess had made to make Alex’s trip to Las Cruces seem plausible.
Isabel was even slightly cordial during those times when the met over it. But there was little love lost between the two. Isabel was still rightfully angry of what Tess had done to Alex, and in a sense done to her.
It was a dark side of the bonds they shared.
Alex had worked with Michael in improving his mental defenses. For although Max had not healed Alex, something major had happened to him. He had spent time in the Balance and had recovered. But it had marked him, he was no longer normal.
They were not sure exactly what he could do. But he had been able to replicate the exercises Michael had given him. And they worked. Alex had even asked Tess to try him, to test them.
Tess had said that they were fairly strong. She had also given him some tips as well.
Isabel knew, of course, but she never mentioned it.
He was the only one of his old group of friends that still talked to everyone.
Maria and Michael sat at a different table. They had also changed, but mostly for the better. Michael was paying much more attention in school, now that he was fairly certain he was going to stay. They still fought, sometimes bitterly, but somehow they always managed to work their way back together.
Max on the other had was a different story. He usually gravitated between Michael and Maria’s table, and Isabel and Alex’s Today he was at the other table.
The man was a broken wreck. Oh, if you didn’t know him, you might think he was okay. That he was just aloof and shy like he always had been.
But Alex knew better. He knew because of Isabel really. Isabel still had the real memories of what had actually been happening. And that was what had caused the separation between Isabel and Michael.
They still loved each other, still would have the others back. But both of them were at an impasse about it. Michael did not believe in Liz. And Maria had such severe doubts…..
If it wasn’t for that scary sword that Isabel carried everywhere, likely Liz would simply have disappeared. As it was, it was like she had never existed. No one remembered her. She wasn’t on the schedule for the Crashdown. And her parents. That was perhaps the saddest thing.
Her parents claimed that they never had a daughter. Although you could tell that Nancy was conflicted somehow. That something, some lingering memory lurked in her.
Strange.
Alex looked at the picture he had in his hands. It was proof that Isabel wasn’t lying. It was a series of pictures. Only it wasn’t what he had tried before. These pictures had been taken exactly five weeks ago. Five weeks from when Isabel said Liz had been destroyed. And something strange was happening to them.
Liz was fading from them. Not like some cheesy special effect, Sometimes when you looked at them she was there. And sometimes she wasn’t.
She was there less and less often. He was guessing that she would fade out completely when the time synchronized at the exact time the photo was taken.
And she would be gone.
But in older photos she was there. He had actually gone through his collection of photos for Isabel for this very reason.
It oddly did not persuade people. Or they might remember that they vaguely remember her. And promptly forget. Something was making them forget. Something wanted her totally gone.
And it was erasing her slowly from time. Alex had done some hacking, and found that she wasn’t even enlisted in West Roswell for this semester. And while there were mentions of her early in the year from the beginning of the school year, she had no grades.
It was frightening how thorough it all was.
He felt as Isabel began to approach the quad.
Alex wasn’t the only one. Alex watched as the various other members of various cliques began to react to Isabel. Or more likely to the Soul Razor.
Fear. There was an aura of fear around Isabel now. If they had once acted as if she were the Princess Regal, now they acted like she was a Dire Queen.
As always the most dramatic reactions were at Pam and Tess’s table. Pam was utterly terrified of Isabel now. Somehow Tess had put her under her protection. Her and another guy who spent a lot of time with them. Some sort of counselor for Pam.
He smiled as Isabel walked around the corner, her class mates getting out of her way. She was immaculate as always, but there was an edge to her beauty now. It was that damn sword.
It followed her everywhere. Even into her dreams.
But he could not make her give it up. Not when he knew what it held. Not when the gifts the sword gave her told her that she could not let it leave her proximity or it would return from whence it came.
And its masters would come in time to claim their world. And the souls of all who dealt therein.
Alex shivered. He just wished he could take some of the burden from her. He stood and kissed her. “Hey.”
Isabel’s gaze was sharp as it swept the quad.
No one met her snowy gaze. It was hard even for Alex. But he steeled himself as her gaze turned to him, and softened. He stood up and gave her a kiss. “I grabbed lunch for you, and if you hurry you can finish it.”
Isabel shook her head, “I’m not really hungry, Alex. Thank you, though. Did you get the pictures?”
Alex nodded, handing her a banana. She would eat something. He was not about to let her skip another meal.
She smiled and with a little laugh peeled the banana. “You are good for me. Fine, fine. I will eat if you show me what you found.”
Alex smiled. “Okay, your guess is right. She’s in the older pictures, but not in the newer. But the kicker is this. I have a picture from a little more than two months ago. Watch.” He spread the photo of him and Maria smiling at the Crashdown. And suddenly for a few moments there were three of them, a small brunette appearing between him and Maria. Just as suddenly she was gone. “That has been happening with greater and greater frequency, and my guess is that at some point today, Liz won’t be in the picture at all.”
Isabel took the picture and looked at it. “Does it bring any of your memories of her back?”
Alex’s voice was soft and sad, “No. Not the way you mean. It brings some of the memories I get from you, or from what I see in the dreams we share. But nothing else. And the hell of it, is that as far as I can tell you are right. There are a lot of photos of us, a lot of shared things. But I don’t remember her at all. Neither does Maria.”
Isabel stuck to her bargain and finished the banana. She opened the container of yogurt and emptied the sugar into it, swirling it absently. “So you have talked to her recently. What does she think of all this.”
“She doesn’t know. She can’t imagine how she could have forgotten someone so important so quickly. But she has evidence too.” Alex sighed, “She asked after you. Asked if you wanted to catch a movie. Some chick flick.”
Isabel said softly, “I will call her tonight, I promise.”
Alex looked again over at the table with Michael, Maria, and Max. “I just wish this bad blood was all over.”
Isabel looked over at Michael. “Michael wants me to just let her go. Just leave the sword and let her fade away. He says that we won’t be able to move on until I do. Maybe he’s right, but I just can’t. She wouldn’t abandon us, not like this.”
“I wish I could remember her. I wish we knew we could bring her back….” Alex held Isabel, “I just don’t like seeing you like this. And I don’t like that, that thing.”
Isabel adjusted the sword strapped to her back. As always making sure it was close to her.
Alex gave her another peck and sat back down and looked at his love. Maybe Michael was right.
Maybe they should just move on.
But Alex knew Isabel. Isabel would never abandon a friend. Never.
And so the friction continued.
------
Max-
Max had decided against going home after school. He would have only been there for a few hours anyway before going to work.
And hanging out at the Crashdown hurt him somehow.
It was Liz of course. The woman of his dreams. His soul mate.
A girl he could remember only as a never ending ache and emptiness. It was like a part of him had been cut away.
Gone forever.
But he himself was still alive. And each day the ache seemed less. Just a little more bearable. His soul a little less empty.
Which had brought him here, watching as the Tennis team practiced. She was the only one of his sister’s friends who actually did much in the way of sports.
Much for the same reason Isabel did all of her own charity work. It looked good to colleges. Max knew that Isabel enjoyed working at the charity places, so he assumed that Vanessa enjoyed tennis too.
She certainly looked like she was enjoying it.
He certainly was enjoying watching her play. Max had noticed her down the hallways, had felt a distant stirring inside of him.
She had made a play for him once. And someone had pushed her aside. He couldn’t remember who, which made it all but certain it had been Liz. That Liz had been territorial with him, and that she had loved him back.
But she was gone. Gone so completely that nothing was left.
And he was here. Watching Vanessa play tennis.
If he could work up his courage, he would ask her out. Maybe today.
Maybe today he would begin to follow Michael’s advice and just move on. It wasn’t like he planned on bringing her into the abyss. That would be much too dangerous, for her and for him.
But a date. Maybe eventually a kiss.
Max watched her toned and tanned body move under her somewhat brief athletic attire.
Yes, maybe a kiss or two. And who knew. The others had found someone. Maybe it was time for him to start looking.
For the first time in a long time, a smile crept up on to his face.
Yes, it was time to start today. Time to start to live again.
Max waited for Vanessa’s practice to end.
-------
Maria
Maria stood up after crawling through the space to the Granolith chamber. They really needed to enlarge that. She absently used her powers to clean of the debris that had got onto her clothes.
Michael began to stalk about, poking into corners.
Maria sighed. Her Spaceboy had gotten better, but he still slipped back into his closed off ways. At least he had brought her with him.
Too bad he hadn’t paid attention to her suggestions that they spend the rare evening they both had off in his apartment. Grab a quick dinner, a couple of movies, and just play.
No, Michael was more in the mood to play detective.
Maria watched as he kept walking around the Chamber. “What are you looking for?”
“There has to be an access chamber here somewhere.”
“An access chamber to where exactly?” Although Maria did have an idea.
Alex had told them of his strange journey. Of the groupings of pods, the strange lighting above them, and meeting Sara.
Michael had been looking for it ever since.
The thing was, they didn’t even know if it was actually a real place. Although, Amil Noor certainly was real. Maria shivered. To think that they actually had a walking and talking representative of Khivar working at the local hospital.
She had actually talked with a representation of Khivar. And the man had seemed so charming and normal. His wife had actually brought them all cookies, good homemade cookies.
Max had even healed the human child of Khivar’s host. Which had to be the strangest thing she would have ever thought possible.
But then, Max had needed a pick me up at the time. And healing people really helped him somehow. It must be a left over trait from Zan. Just like this obsession with understanding everything and needing to pry into every secret was from the old Rath.
“What makes you think you will find them this time? Assuming that they are even there.”
Michael shot her an annoyed look. “You read the Book. You know some of what the Granolith is capable of. If Alex is right, then the sooner we can really prove that it can make an army for us…..”
“You will, what, leave?”
Michael was over to Maria in a flash, “Pixie, I am not going to leave you. But we are so vulnerable now. Practically everyone knows where we are. Hell they know WHEN we are.”
“So you believe Isabel. Believe that someone from the future came to rub out, rub out….” Maria could not remember the name.
“Liz. Her name was Liz. And yes, I believe it. Just like I remember your counter part visiting us a time or two.”
“Yeah.”
“As long as we are vulnerable, they might keep coming. Might keep trying to alter the future. And then there are our simply interstellar enemies. No.” He shook his head dramatically, “If we can build an army, the sooner it gets started, the sooner we are safe.”
Maria just held onto him, never wanted to let go. Because with him she felt safe. And she knew that there was no force that could harm them as long as they were together.
She had continued to practice, and her powers worked seamlessly now. More, the memories from Karis had not faded. They didn’t always directly help Maria, because her powers worked a little differently, but they did help.
Maria doubted she would have been able to get a hang of ins and outs of molecular manipulation without them. Karis had been an excellent chemist, and the mixes that Maria was making now had become a good sideline at her mother’s shop.
Maria smiled and kissed Michael.
That work made her so happy. Not only was it satisfying, making such heavenly aromas. But also being able to finally help her mom out so much.
Michael kissed her back.
Their first time had been on an air mattress not more than twenty yards away. She grinned up at him mischievously. And kissed him again.
It had been a bit more than a week since their last bout of mind blowing sex. And she could tell from his moan as she kissed him that he was more than ready.
She backed away and closed her eyes. And began to Weave. More than her lightning, this was becoming what they considered her gift. A gift wrought in part from her own talents mixed with a dead alien scientists.
Karis, once known as Courtney’s continuing gift. But she had never had the power that flowed through Maria’s veins. Maria pulled in the atmospheric molecules to make her lightweight fabric, rewove the cobwebs and …..
“Maria, we are not having sex in the Granolith Chamber.”
She smiled up at him winsomely, “But we have already christened the Pod Chamber. Might as well add this one to our list.”
She could see him wavering. Amazing how a whole week seemed like forever, to him as much as to herself.
She wanted him, and she wanted him now. She started to undress.
Michael just watched her, his eyes widening as she stripped for him. He looked over at the Granolith with a mixture of petulance and worry. “Maria, this is a holy item to my people.”
Maria felt as her powers finished with the air bed and she pushed down on it, checking to see how firm it was.
Perfect. She clambered on to it. The silky fabric felt so much better than the air mattress they had used months ago. It was firm, but gently yielding. Different from any of the other mattresses she’d ever had.
“And I am sure its seen its share of hanky panky. Now this is getting to be unfair. You seemed to be much to much over dressed for this whole situation.” She leaned back. She had left her lace bra and panties for him to remove.
She propped her self artfully, waiting for him to look back at her.
“But I really wanted to find that doorway.” He said with a touch of a whine, “I’m going to be busy the rest of the week.” But he was removing his shirt.
Better.
“Maybe we will get flashes. You know how they only show up when there’s a ton of emotion. And.”
He was at her side kissing her, kicking off his jeans.
She kissed him back and ran her hands along his body.
Inside she was smiling. She should have thought of the flash angle from the beginning.
He murmured in her ear, “Protection?” He then began to kiss along her neck.
That made it hard for her, but not impossible. She pulled one hand away from his body and using her talents she wove a piece of thing filmy, but impenetrable material. She took the her hand and with her small hands she stroked his erection, building a condom as she went.
And they made love.