Roswelllostcause - Tess always wrecks everything…
Thank you for the feedback!
Carolyn (keepsmiling7) - Yeah, Tess is (unfortunately) gonna stick around for a while. But at least they are rid of Perkins (or…?) Thank you for the feedback!
L-J-L 76 - I'll answer some of your questions; Tess probably won't try to mind warp any of the aliens again. Since she tried that on Max and he "felt her" inside his mind, she probably learnt her lesson… Thank you for the feedback!
Eve (begonia9508) - Well, I don't think Perkins is gullible per say. He's more arrogant and thinks he can (as the saying goes) get away with murder. He basically thinks he's God's gift to women - to humankind, really. Thank you for the feedback!
saori_1902 - Thank you!
Previously on "Lethal Whispers"
Liz was attacked by David Perkins (her creepy work colleague) on her way home from work. He abused and violated her, but Max came to her rescue before he raped her and possibly accidentally killed her. Max took Liz to his apartment and showed her his healing abilities.
A special agent from the FBI is on the aliens' trail, questioning David Perkins about the attack on Liz because he suspects that there were extraordinary circumstances to the case. Tess requested to speak to Max (and the group).
CHAPTER 28
Michael
Michael couldn’t believe Max had been so stupid.
Max was the most rational of the three so even if Michael had respected that Max really had wanted to save that girl, Michael had still believed that Max would see the reasonable solution to the problem and let nature run its course.
Well, at least he had believed that until Max had called him last night basically ordering him to hand over a guy to the police.
Now they were standing in Max’s apartment involved in what his girlfriend would call an ‘intervention’. Max had just returned from answering a knock at the door. Michael couldn’t care less about who it was as he momentarily was too caught up in his own anger and disappointment.
“You’ve put all of our lives in jeopardy,” Michael said before Max had completely returned to the living area of the apartment.
“Don’t be so dramatic,” Max sighed, taking a seat on the armrest of the chair where his sister was seated, looking worried. “I’ve only told her about
me. You guys were never mentioned.”
“Jesus,” Michael exhaled, shaking his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you’re being this stupid. From what I’ve found on this girl-“
Max frowned and interrupted, “You’ve researched her?”
Michael decided that Max questioning Michael’s obvious route to ensuring their survival was not deemed an answer right now and continued as if Max hadn’t spoken, “-she’s not the dullest crayon in the box. This girl is a fucking genius.”
Max got to his feet, looking angry. “Michael, you can’t just go around running background checks on-“
“I’m not finished, Maxwell,” Michael hissed.
“Yes, you are,” Max interrupted, his jaw muscles tightening.
“Can we please calm down?” Isabel suggested wearily. She was so tired of those two always fighting, engaging in something of an eternal pissing contest.
“She will figure it out!” Michael practically roared, ignoring Isabel alongside with Max. “If she hasn’t already. It won’t take her long to decipher your oh-so-difficult code.”
“Even if she does, she won’t tell,” Max said, his voice still not raised, but dangerous. Michael was actually instinctively made nervous by that voice as if some rational voice inside of him was telling him to yield. But his anger easily overrode that instinct.
Isabel jumped to her feet. “Shut up!”
Her order produced a moment of silence before Michael grumbled, “She’s a human being; she’ll mess up. Humans are not constructed to be able to hide these type of things.”
Michael earned an angry look from Isabel for breaking the silence, but the statement had already triggered Max. “She’s different.”
“Aren’t they all?” Michael said sarcastically.
“Maria’s been able to keep it a secret, hasn’t she?”
“Don’t drag me into this,” Maria said from the kitchen where she had been munching on popcorn, making herself a promise that she wouldn’t interfere with this intervention. This was an alien-matter.
“She’s human,” Max added as per clarification.
“I’ve noticed,” Michael said, the sarcasm showing again.
“As you pointed out yourself,” Max said, “Liz is smart. She is the most equipped at handling these type of situations.”
“Yeah, well. People become stupid when they’re scared.”
“Liz is not scared.”
Michael gave a humorless laugh. “You’re certain of that? You have
no idea what goes on in that pretty little head of hers. Her natural instinct is probably telling her right now to go straight to the bluecoats and report what she’s seen.”
“Who would believe her?” Maria asked. “They’d probably just think she’s crazy.”
“With that background of intellect?” Michael questioned, shooting his girlfriend a disappointed look.
Come on, Ria. I thought you were on my side here.
“There’s a fine line between genius and insa-“ Maria started, but Michael interrupted her.
“Oh come on, Maria! You know as well as I do that even if that information might be seen as ludicrous at the first stop, it’s too juicy to stay there. It will get around and eventually end up in the hands of someone that doesn’t find it so unbelievable.”
Michael surveyed the people in front of him, apparently the people that mattered the most to his existence. “Am I the only one seeing the facts here? You need to pull off those fucking pink glasses and smell the fucking disaster here! Because of you,” he pointed at Max, who was looking at him in an enervating calm manner, “we have to leave this place. Probably change identiti-“
“Oh, come on,” Isabel sighed.
Michael was appalled with this whole situation. “Why are you not taking this seriously?”
“Because I know Liz,” Isabel answered. “She seems like a person that could handle this.”
Michael felt the air go out of him and turned his back on the group of traitors. He always feared that they would side with perfect Max, but never on a matter like this. Never when it came to their survival.
“Michael, we understand your concern,” Max started and Michael cringed at that condescending tone. “But how about meeting Liz first, before you jump to conclusions?”
“It won’t make a difference,” Michael said under his breath.
Maria stepped up to him (
Damn) and Michael knew he was in for a losing battle. She put her hand on his arm and he could feel her calm gaze on the side of his face. “One chance, Michael. Give it one chance. Then I’ll leave with you if that’s still what you want to do.”
He looked at her and read the sincerity on her face. “Just one,” he mumbled, hating to give in. Hating the feeling of having lost. He had never been a gracious loser.
“Yeah,” Maria nodded.
“This might not be the right time to tell you guys this,” Max said and Michael felt the almost erased anger start up again.
Now what?
He turned around so that he could see the group again. Max looked him straight in the eye, knowing that it was best to get Michael to agree on this matter.
“This woman by the name of Tess Ha-“
Isabel looked up at her brother with genuine surprise and interrupted, “Tess?”
Michael leaned back against the wall.
Here we go. Next fucking problem on the list. “What is this? National Ruining Michael’s Life Day?”
“So what she said was true then? You know her?” Max asked.
“I know
of her,” Michael corrected. “But your dear sister over there is very chummy with her.”
Isabel had the grace of looking ashamed as Max looked down at his older sister wearing a mask of mixed emotions.
“She’s nice,” Isabel said in defense.
“She’s not to be trusted,” Michael amended.
Max surprised Michael by agreeing. “I got that feeling too.”
“So what did she do?” Michael tried to hide his curiosity. What
had Tess done to earn such a response from Max?
“She tried to see into my mind,” Max stated matter-of-factly.
Isabel whipped her head to her brother, startled. “She
what?”
But Michael wasn’t surprised. No wonder he’d never trusted her. She was like them. “She’s alien?”
“Appears so,” Max said.
“She’s never tried anything like that on me,” Isabel said, looking confused.
Probably trying to make sense of this different picture of her friend, Michael thought bitterly.
“At least not to your knowledge,” Michael said out loud which had Isabel look terrified.
“No,” Max shook his head, “No. I don’t think she can do that to us without our knowledge. She can probably do it to humans, because she seemed very surprised when I kicked her out. But I’m pretty sure we would all be able to feel her. It was like… like something was gnawing on my brain.”
“Hard to miss…” Michael mumbled.
“So what…?” Isabel breathed. “So what does she want?”
“She wants to talk to us. Probably about what we know. Well, she mostly wanted to talk to me, but I didn’t want you to be excluded.”
Michael shot him a look.
So now we are welcomed back into the decision making process, Max?
“Thanks for thinking of us,” Michael responded acidly.
“When?” Isabel asked.
“On Monday.”
Michael nodded. “Works for me. Let’s see what that little manipulator knows.”
He was actually quite excited about the prospect. He had a feeling they might not get too much out of the girl (it probably went against her nature to be into sharing), but it might shine some light on what the hell they were doing on this planet.
“Okay, I’ve had enough of this shit,” Michael announced and headed for the front door. “Set up a meeting with that girlfriend of yours as well, Maxwell, and let me know.”
“Michael…” Max warned.
But Michael had already left the apartment.
*****
Liz
It was surprising how many of the employees of Elkus Manfredi Architects that were not surprised, particularly amongst the female workers, to hear about Liz’s ‘misfortunate run in with David Perkins after hours. Several employees approached Liz during her first day back to express their commiseration and occasionally adding their less flattering description of that ex-colleague of theirs. Some even seemed relieved (possibly themselves having been at the receiving end of David’s charms) and Liz’s boss came to personally apologize for Mr. Perkins actions.
If Liz had been even a minuscule amount nervous about that first day back at work after a week of recuperation at home, it was completely evaporated at the supportive treatment she got at her workplace. It further enhanced the feeling that she
had picked the right place of employment after all, even though it had put her straight in the way of David.
But that good feeling wasn’t going to last. As she made her way towards the door to her office, her employer had just finished their conversation with “I’m arranging for your next colleague to be a woman” called out to her, “Oh, and Ms. Parker, there’s an FBI-agent in your office. He has some questions about the incident.”
Liz froze and her heart plummeted straight through her body to land with a hard echo in her feet. Normally, seeing an agent from the Bureau wouldn’t be such a big deal, considering that she had always been a good law-abiding citizen.
But as of a week ago, she now carried a large federally significant secret that had changed her from being a normal somewhat naïve thinker into one of the most elaborate believer of political conspiracies. Hence, her first thought after Mr. Smith’s announcement was;
Why is the Federal Bureau of Investigation interested in a regular case of sexual abuse?
She swallowed, tried to compose herself and calm her nervously fluttering heart, before she opened the door to her office.
TBC...
