by Melinda Metz
He carried her out of the house and over to the Jeep. He climbed into the backseat, still holding her. "We're going to take care of you," he said. He hoped somehow she could hear him.
Max pulled the Jeep out of the driveway and peeled out down the street. Isabel twisted around and ran her fingers down Maria's cheek. "Something weird happened with Maria a couple of days ago," she told Michael. "We were in English, and she had a little spell or something. Like a blackout. When I asked her what happened, she wouldn't tell me."
Michael gave a growl of frustration. "That happened when she was with me, too. I should have known she was hurting herself. She looked like she was half dead when she was paralyzed."
"What are you talking about?" Max demanded.
"Maria's psychic. Every time she uses her power, she gets paralyzed. Can't move, can't talk, nothing. She made it sound like it was no big deal. But she couldn't see herself when it was happening. If she could-" Michael broke off and shoved his fingers through his hair.
"Psychic? Are you sure?" Isabel exclaimed.
Max pulled into the UFO museum parking lot and parked the Jeep at the foot of the stairs leading to Ray's apartment. "Do you want help with her?" he asked Michael.
"No. No, you go ahead. Tell Ray what happened. I'll be right behind you." Max and Isabel jumped out of the Jeep and took off up the stairs.
Michael climbed out of the Jeep and took the stairs more slowly, trying to jar Maria as little as possible. "Ray's going to know how to help you," he told her. He wanted her to know what was happening.
Ray met him at the front door. "Put her down in the living room and let me look at her," he said.
Max shoved a couple of the beanbags together, and Michael carefully laid Maria on top of them. He sat on the floor nearby, keeping her hand locked in his.
Ray knelt down next to them. His eyes were wide as he stared at her. With a shaking hand he lightly touched one of the red spots on Maria's face.
"Bounty hunters," he whispered.
"What?" Michael demanded.
Isabel joined them in the living room. "I called Alex. He's going to get Liz and come over."
Ray grabbed Michael by the arm, his fingers squeezing hard. "Max said you saw some kind of creatures when you connected with Maria. Did they have multiple eyes and tentacle mouths?"
"Yeah. Why? What's going on? Can you help her?" Michael asked.
"The things you saw… they're bounty hunters. A race of creatures from our planet," Ray explained. "Their bodies are designed for hunting, and our people used them to track down criminals. They use a kind of… mental warfare. It leaves spots like the ones on Maria."
"Mental warfare? What's that?" Isabel demanded.
"It's something the hunters use to kill from a great distance," Ray answered. "They use their minds as weapons. Their power is staggering."
"Kill?" Michael exploded. "Someone's trying to kill Maria?"
"It looks that way," Ray said.
"But you're saying an alien did this," Max jumped in. "Why would an alien target Maria?"
"Good question," Ray said. "I don't-"
"I have a better question," Michael interrupted. "How do we stop them? What do we have to do to save Maria?" He stared down at her face-and saw her eyelids flutter. "She moved!" he cried.
He rubbed her hand between his. "Maria, can you hear me?" Michael demanded. "Are you okay?"
Her eyes slowly opened. They had lost their horrible blank expression. "Thirsty," she mumbled.
"I'll get water," Isabel said.
Michael brushed Maria's hair away from her face. He smoothed her shirt down over her stomach. He couldn't seem to stop touching her. "You scared me," he said.
"Sorry." Maria's voice was thick and scratchy. Isabel rushed back in and handed Michael a glass of water. He wrapped one arm around Maria's shoulders and helped her sit up enough to drink.
"Do you feel well enough to tell us what happened?" Ray asked.
"I don't know what happened. How did I get here? What-" She was interrupted by a frantic pounding on the front door.
"I got it," Max said. He hurried out of the room and returned a moment later followed by Alex and Liz.
"Are you okay, Maria?" Liz cried.
"What happened?" Alex half yelled.
"I stopped by Maria's and found her passed out on the floor," Michael explained. "She had these red spots all over her."
Maria raised her hand in front of her face. She gave a soft whimper when she saw the spots.
Michael tightened his arm around her. He knew it was going to be really hard for her to hear the rest. "Ray says alien bounty hunters were after her." He locked eyes with Maria. "They're using some kind of mental weapon on you, but we're going to figure out a way to stop them. Right?" he asked Ray.
Ray didn't give Michael the answer he wanted. He didn't say he knew exactly how to stop the bounty hunters. He just smiled at Maria. "First I think we need more information," he said. "Tell me about your psychic powers-and the spells you get."
"She doesn't have any psychic powers," Liz burst out.
Maria looked up at Liz. "Actually, I do. I was going to tell you. I just-"
"Maria," Alex said gently, "just tell us the facts."
"I… I found a ring in the mall, a ring with a strange stone," she said slowly.
A ring? Michael thought. Maria hadn't told him about that.
She cleared her throat, and Michael gave her another sip of water. "The stone helped me tap into psychic powers I didn't even know I had. Healing. And I could touch any object and then see the person it belonged to-know exactly what they were doing right at that second."
Michael could feel Maria trembling. But she was holding it together, telling them what they needed to know.
"Can I see the ring?" Ray asked.
Maria pulled the gold chain off her neck and handed it to Ray. A ring set with a green-purple stone hung on the end.
Ray ran one finger over the stone. "It's one of the Stones of Midnight," he said, his voice hushed and solemn. "I never thought I would hold one in my hand."
Isabel leaned over for a look. "That's Nikolas's ring!" she cried.
"I found it the night… the night he, you know," Maria said. "I didn't know it was his."
It was good to hear her talking. Plus her skin was cooler and those little red dots were gone. He'd been so afraid… Michael didn't even want to complete the thought.
"How could Nikolas have gotten the Stone?" Max asked.
"The Stone was stolen by the stowaway on our ship," Ray reminded them. "Maybe someone found it at the crash site. Or somehow it was attached to Nikolas's pod-"
"Who cares about that right now," Michael snapped. "We have to stay focused on Maria."
"Well, now I know why the bounty hunters have targeted Maria," Ray said. "They're after the Stone. The consortium must have hired them to track down the fugitive and retrieve it."
Ray ran his fingers through his thinning gray-brown hair. "Every time Maria used the power of the Stone-what she thought was her psychic power-she was sending a signal to the bounty hunters, helping them track her down. They've obviously gotten close enough to begin using mental warfare against her."
Maria cleared her throat again. "Wouldn't they be able to tell I wasn't an alien?" she asked.
"Not necessarily," Ray answered. "The hunters are probably still too far away to tell anything except that the Stone is being used."
"So if Maria stops using the Stone, it's over, right?" Michael asked. "If she doesn't use it, she doesn't send out a signal, and the bounty hunters can't find her, right?"
"I don't think they'll be able to find Maria if she doesn't use the Stone again," Ray agreed.
"Good. Problem solved. I'm taking her home," Michael said.
He decided he would sleep on her floor. No, not sleep. Lie on her floor and watch her, make sure she was okay.
"I'm fine," Maria protested. But she sounded awful. And Michael was pretty sure if he moved
his arm, she wouldn't be able to hold herself upright.
"What I'm afraid of is that the bounty hunters may have been able to target Maria's general location," Ray added. "If they can't find her, they may decide to do something drastic-like destroy the whole town. That way they'd be sure of killing her. And the Stone would still be safe. There isn't a weapon that can destroy it."
"So we get in the Jeep right now and get as far away as possible," Michael said.
"And leave everyone else to die?" Liz exclaimed. "I don't think so."
"I was so stupid. I actually thought I had some kind of special power. I thought the Stone was just helping me use it," Maria cried.
"It wasn't stupid. Were you supposed to think you'd found an alien power stone in the mall?" Liz asked.
"So we need a plan," Alex said. "Anyone have any ideas?"
"Remember how we got our friend the sheriff off Max's trail right after he healed me?" Liz asked. "We convinced Valenti the alien he was looking for was dead. Could we pull the same kind of thing on the bounty hunters?"
"Yeah, if they thought I was dead, they'd stop trying to kill me-and there would be no reason for them to hurt anyone else," Maria said.
"There is a way… but it's dangerous," Max answered.
Dangerous. That was not a word Michael wanted to hear in connection with Maria.
"Maria could use the ring to call the bounty hunters to her," Max continued. "Then I'll use my power to stop her heart. Just for a few seconds, just long enough to convince the bounty hunters she's dead. Then I could start it again."
Fury slammed through Michael. How could Max even think about putting Maria in that kind of situation? "There is no way I'm letting you do something like that," he spat out.
Maria tightened her grip on his hand. "It's not your decision. It's mine," she said firmly. "And I'm doing it."
*** 14 ***
Maria stared down at her arm. She wished the red dots would reappear. When the dots came back, that would mean the bounty hunters had targeted her again-and that she could get this over with. She hated the waiting, knowing that soon she was going to die.
"Are you okay?" Liz asked. "We should have let you rest more first."
"This way it will make it easier for Max to kill me," she said. She meant it to come out light and teasing. But Max stiffened, Liz turned pale, and a shiver ran through Maria's body.
"If Max and Michael and Ray screw up, don't worry," Isabel jumped in. "You've still got me. I'll bring you back."
"I don't think talking about screwing up is helpful right now," Alex said.
"No, it's… I appreciate it," Maria answered. She did, too. It meant a lot that Isabel was willing to heal her even though she'd sworn never to use her powers again. "Thanks. Thanks, Izzy."
"I still don't think-" Michael began.
"I'm going to use the Stone again," Maria announced. She couldn't stand waiting. "I used it a bunch of times in a row the last time."
Maria wrapped her fingers around the bracelet she'd borrowed from her mother. "What's Mom doing?" she whispered.
The dots swirled, then clumped. And Maria found herself standing in her mother's bedroom. Her mom was asleep, a small smile on her lips. What if I never see her again? Maria thought.
The dots started to swirl. "I love you, Mom," Maria called. Then the dots clumped and she was back in Ray's living room. The paralysis struck immediately this time. Maria could see and hear everything, just like she had when Michael held her in his arms and told her everything was all right, when he kissed her.
"It's time," she heard Alex say. "There are dots on her arms."
Think of Michael. Keep thinking of Michael, she told herself. That would help get her through the next few minutes.
Max stood up and crossed the room to her. Maria felt her heart flutter in her chest-like it knew what was about to happen. Like it knew it was going to be forced to stop beating. He knelt down next to her.
"Don't touch her," Michael ordered.
"Michael, there's no other-" Liz began to protest.
"I'll do it," Michael said. He took a deep breath and pressed his hands against her chest. She knew he was getting ready to make the connection. In a few seconds she'd be dead.
Michael lowered his head so his eyes were only inches from her own. "Don't think about anything but me," he told her.
She wished she could tell him that's what she'd been doing.
Michael's eyes never left hers as he slid his hands up from her chest to her throat. Was he having trouble making the connection? "Just think of me," he murmured.
Maria felt his hand slide through her hair and then-Michael tore the gold chain from around her neck.
"What are you doing?" Alex cried.
Michael shoved the ring onto his finger and sprang to his feet. "I want to be the one to die," he announced.
"We have to stick to the plan," Max said urgently.
"No," Michael answered. "End of discussion." He curled his hand into a fist. "No one is taking this ring off me. So either you use me instead of Maria or the plan fails."
No! Maria wanted to scream at them to stop. But she couldn't get out even a word.
"They're connecting with me now," Michael announced. He held out his arm, showing everyone the red dots. Max rushed over to Michael. He shoved his hands down on Michael's chest.
A shudder ripped through Maria's body as the paralysis broke. She sat up fast. "Don't do it!" Maria wailed. This wasn't right. She should be the one to die.
But it was too late. Michael crumpled to the floor. His body gave two jerks and then lay still. Maria could see little bubbles of foam on his lips.
"Max, what did you do?" Isabel yelled.
Max stumbled away from Michael's body. "I didn't do anything. I didn't even get a chance to make the connection."
"Is he dead?" Maria cried. "Is Michael dead?"
*** 15 ***
"I don't know what happened. I didn't even make it in, "Max cried.
Isabel pushed her way past him and dropped down next to Michael's body. She placed her hands on his chest.
You can do this, she told herself. You have the power. Just relax and focus on Michael. Only on Michael. She took a few deep breaths and waited for the flood of images from Michael's brain. They didn't come.
She wasn't going to let him die. She couldn't save Nikolas. She'd been too terrified to even try. She'd just stood there and watched Valenti shoot him. But she wasn't going to stand around and let Michael die. She was going to save him.
Isabel pulled up his T-shirt and repositioned her hands on his bare skin. Skin-to-skin contact always helped her make the connection. She closed her eyes, willing herself to keep her breathing slow and steady. She knew if she got tense and tried to force things, it would only make the connection harder to achieve.
The images still didn't come. Maybe her power had gotten dulled because she hadn't been using it. She opened her eyes. "Max, you've got to help me. I can't make the connection," Isabel told him.
Max crouched down next to Michael and positioned his hands on either side of Isabel's. "Let's try together," he said.
They had known Michael their whole lives. They loved him. If anyone could connect with him, they could. So this had to work. It had to.
Isabel listened to Max's deep breathing and matched her breaths to his. She starting running through all the moments with Michael she had stored in her brain.
"Something's happening," Alex said softly. "Look at Michael."
Isabel stared down at him and saw a sickly gray glow forming around his body. That had never happened during a healing before. Was it a good sign or a bad one?
"Let's see what a little more juice can do," Ray said. He knelt next to Max and put his hands on Michael's forehead. The light around Michael grew a little brighter.
Then it flickered and went out.
***
"Come on, Max. What are you waiting for?" Michael demanded. "You've got to do this now. Before it's too late.
"
Max didn't answer. No one answered. The room was completely still and silent. Even the clock had stopped ticking.
Michael opened his eyes and sat up. Max, Maria, Isabel, Alex, Liz, and Ray-they had all disappeared. What was going on? He stumbled to his feet, fighting against a wave of dizziness. "Where are you guys?" Michael shouted.
He rushed to the front door and threw it open. He took the stairs two at a time. Max's Jeep was still parked in the UFO museum lot. He could see it clearly. But… but everything outside the lot was covered in a thick mist.
"Max! Maria! Anyone! Are you out there? Can you hear me?" Michael yelled.
Again he got no answer. But something was moving deep in the mist. Something was coming toward him.
Michael squinted into the mist. Two figures began to form-tall and thin, with incredibly long arms and legs. They moved closer and he got a glimpse of their faces. It was them. The bounty hunters.
"You're just the guys I've been hoping to run into," Michael yelled. He was going to show them exactly why they shouldn't have messed with someone he cared about.
He locked his eyes on one of the bounty hunters and ran straight at him. He tackled the hunter and knocked him to the ground. He grabbed the hunter's head and smashed it against the asphalt. He lifted it up and smashed it again. He did not want the guy getting back up-ever.
The second bounty hunter yanked Michael away. Michael landed hard on his back, the breath rushing out of his lungs with a whoosh. The hunter pressed his fingers against Michael's stomach. Instantly a connection between them formed. Michael felt the hunters mind probe his internal organs-and begin ripping a hole in Michael's stomach. He could feel the hot gastric enzymes spilling into his body cavity.
"You want to play, let's play," Michael muttered. He did a quick check of the hunter's body. He could see the organs and muscles and tissue. He spotted an unfamiliar gland at the base of the throat. Let's see what this little baby does, Michael thought. He focused his attention on it and squeezed with his mind.
