by Melinda Metz
Michael shoved his fingers through his hair. "Isabel said there was something evil in Adam, something controlling him," he muttered to himself.
"What if she was right?" Liz asked. "Could whatever it is be in Isabel now?"
Cameron was very glad Liz had asked that question. It was something Michael needed to think about, but if Cameron had been the one to say it, he would have totally gone off.
"We have to at least consider it as a possibility," Max answered. "Fact-Isabel's not here. Fact-she never would have left Michael to die of her own free will. So either Adam regained consciousness, attacked Michael, and forced Isabel to go with him-"
"Or something evil has control of Isabel," Michael finished.
***
"Okay, we checked the mall. We checked cheerleading practice. Now where-UFOnics?" Alex asked.
"It's sort of early for that," Maria said. "Besides, it's in the part of town Michael and Cameron are searching."
Michael and Cameron. Would she ever get used to saying that? Would she have to? Max had told Liz that Cameron was gone. But no.
"How about Flying Pepperoni?" Alex pulled off his sunglasses and tossed them on the dashboard.
"I guess," Maria answered. "It seems kind of hopeless, though. Unless the evil thing in Isabel has some kind of pizza craving."
Neither of them said a word for a long moment. Maria could feel the silence building up inside her, pushing at the walls of her body.
"Are we having fun yet?" Alex blurted out, a wide, maniacal grin breaking across his face.
"Oh yeah," Maria answered. "We're having more fun than-more fun than-"
"Than the last pancake at a breakfast buffet?" Alex suggested.
Maria squinched up her nose. "I have no idea what that means."
"Yeah, me neither," Alex admitted.
Silence filled the car again. Maria felt like a balloon that was about to pop.
"Did I used to have a life?" she suddenly exclaimed. "I mean, what did I do when I wasn't doing this?" She made a helpless swirling gesture with her hands.
Alex laughed. "You mean before the alien invasion? You were enjoying your glory days, gathering up the memories you would come to treasure in your old age."
He sounded so… bitter. Maria twisted the silver ring on her pinkie around and around. "Can I ask you a horrible question?"
"Uh, sure," he answered.
"Do you wish that we didn't know the truth about Michael and Max and Isabel?" It was something she'd been asking herself a lot lately.
Alex hesitated. "It would be easier…," he finally said.
That was true. A lot easier. Not just because alien bounty hunters and evil controlling things would no longer be a part of her world, but because there would be no one she loved so hard, it hurt. There would be no Michael.
"But no," Alex concluded. He shot a glance at Maria. "What about you? Do you wish you could go back in time to before it happened?"
Back to a time when her heart had never been broken. Back to a time when she had never kissed Michael, never told him she loved him.
Maria let out a long, sighing breath. "No. I don't want to go back."
***
"Look, you said you had something to say to me. We've been driving around for more than an hour and nothing," Michael burst out. "I'm giving you three more minutes. That's it."
He couldn't stand having her in the car another second, her with her ocean smell. Even all those pine tree air fresheners Ray had looped around the rearview mirror couldn't completely block it out.
"Why three more minutes? How did you come to that random decision?" Cameron protested.
Now she was getting attitude.
"Three minutes because that's how long it takes to get to the bus stop from here," Michael answered. "You want to spend your three minutes on stupid questions, go ahead. Talk about the weather for all I care. But that's all you're getting." He didn't know why he was giving her that much.
"I don't know how to say what I want to say," she admitted.
"Three minutes," he warned her. "Less than that now."
She rubbed one finger over her lips, then started talking. "About what happened with Valenti… I'm sorry. I-"
"Don't bother," Michael interrupted. He tightened his grip on the wheel until his knuckles went white. "I don't need to hear any more lies."
"I'm not-"
Michael interrupted her again. "You said you didn't know me. That was your excuse, right? You didn't know me?"
"Yeah. I swear, if I'd known you, I never-"
"See, a lie. You didn't know me when you made your little deal with Valenti, I'll give you that. But you knew me when you got Max's and Isabel's names out of me. You sure knew me when you gave their names to Valenti."
He shot a glance at her. She looked stunned. "You actually believed your own lie, didn't you? You actually managed to convince yourself that you never could have done what you did if you'd known the people you were hurting. Well, that's bull. You knew, and you didn't care."
That hurt. He could see it in her face. Good. If he had to face the truth about her, she would have to face it about herself. Why should he be the only one with his guts torn out?
She turned away from him and stared out the window. "By the time I got to know you, I was already in the compound. I was trapped."
"What, and I was there for some kind of all-expenses-paid vacation?" he shot back. "We got Adam out. We would have found a way to get out ourselves sooner or later. But you had to take the easy way."
"Easy, yeah," she muttered sarcastically. "Everything's easy for me."
"Oh, right, I forgot. You have some bad situation at home. And that makes everything you do okay." Michael sped up and made a left turn with a squeal of tires. He shoved the gas pedal down harder, made another screeching turn. He wanted her out of this car now.
"Here's the bus station. Have a nice life." Michael jerked the car to a stop, reached over, and pushed open Cameron's door.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled one more time. Then she jumped out and raced across the parking lot.
Michael watched her for about two seconds, then he slammed out of the car. "Cameron, wait," he shouted. She didn't turn around, but she stopped. He rushed up to her, grabbed her by the shoulders, and forced her to face him. She wanted him to apologize. It was written all over her face. But Michael couldn't let it affect him.
"I'm sure somewhere along the road, you're going to need money," he said. "And you'll probably start thinking that if you just told the right people where they could find some real, live aliens, you'd be all set. But I promise you this, you ever say a word about us to anyone, and I will hunt you down and kill you."
Cameron's skin paled as her face went slack. For once she didn't toss out a canned comeback, and Michael knew his message had hit home. He turned on his heel and walked away without so much as a backward glance.
***
"The cave is a great hiding place," Max said. "If Isabel managed to escape from Adam-or break free from something controlling her-that's where she'd go. She feels safe there."
"That makes sense," Liz agreed. She climbed out of the Jeep and helped Max cover it with the tan tarp he used as camouflage when he parked in the desert.
"Ready?" Max asked.
Liz nodded, and they started their hike to the crack in the desert floor leading to the cave. The sun was beginning to set, painting the mountains and pillars of clouds gold and pink. Looking at those clouds, Liz found it hard to believe that evil existed anywhere. But that was a sentimental thought. Foolish. No, more than that-dangerous. Refusing to believe that evil existed made it almost impossible to fight.
Max reached out and took her hand. His touch comforted her, reminding her that at least she wouldn't have to fight alone. His grip tightened when they neared the cave's entrance, and she realized that he was drawing strength from her, too.
"Let's just hope she's there," he said, then he released her hand and swung himself down into the cave.
Liz scrambled after him, finding the big rock with her toes and jumping from there.
When she landed, it took Liz a moment to process what she saw. Isabel and Adam lay on the cave floor-and they both looked green. Someone stood over them, cackling. When the man turned around and faced them, Liz's mind reeled.
It was Elsevan DuPris-and he had the Stone of Midnight in his hand.
DuPris smiled at Max. "I've been looking for this for more than fifty years," he said, without a trace of his southern accent. "Who knew that your sister held the information I needed locked inside her little pinhead? Her memories led me right to the spot where you had hidden the Stone."
"Who are you?" Liz whispered. She felt as if her world had been turned inside out. She had spoken to this man so many times during her life and had always dismissed him as a harmless wacko.
"My guess is… he's not human," Max said.
"Very good," DuPris answered.
"And if he's not human, then he must be the… stowaway Ray told us about," Max answered, his voice shaking with anger. "The one who stole the Stone of Midnight and hid on board my parents' ship."
Liz let her eyes slide over him. Even the way he held himself was different now. He'd been walking around Roswell for years, letting everyone think he was a UFO-obsessed nut job. That took incredible patience, she realized. He must have wanted the Stone very badly.
Max took a step toward him. "The Stone doesn't belong to you."
Liz wanted to reach out and yank Max back to her side. Why was he challenging DuPris? Didn't Max know that all they could do right now was try to get themselves and Isabel and Adam out of the cave alive?
"Finders keepers, isn't that what they say here?" DuPris tossed the ring into the air and caught it, then slid it onto his finger. "I have plans for this. I could use some help, if you're interested. If you're not interested, well, help doesn't always have to be voluntary, if you know what I mean." He pointed his palm at Isabel and Adam. On cue, they opened their eyes and rose to their feet.
Liz forced herself to stare into Isabel's blank eyes, then Adam's. Izzy's eyes looked like they had yesterday when she had shoved Max against the wall. A rush of understanding swept through Liz. Had DuPris been controlling people from afar? Was he controlling Isabel when she shoved Max? Was he behind Adam killing Valenti-and that rabbit? Was there a way for Liz to help them break free of DuPris's control?
"What do you say, Max?" DuPris asked. "I can't offer you a partnership, but there is room for advancement in my enterprise."
Say yes, Liz thought. Say what you have to say to get us out of here. This wasn't the time to fight. They needed time to find the others and make a plan.
"You crashed that ship!" Max cried. "You killed my parents!"
"Don't take it personally," DuPris answered, strolling toward them. "They were going to take me back to our planet for judgment. I had no choice."
Liz saw Max's hands curl into fists. She knew he was going to launch himself at DuPris any second. She grabbed his arm. "Remember the compound, Max. Adam was being controlled by him." She jerked her chin toward DuPris. "It was his power that killed Valenti and started the fire."
"You understand me," DuPris told Liz. "I could use a girl like you, a human girl. I suspect that you would be easier to keep in line than those two." He gestured at Isabel and Adam. "They managed to slip away from me a few times before I got a firm enough grasp. But you, I'd like to see what I could do with you."
Quick as a snake striking, he grabbed Liz's wrist. "No!" she screamed.
*** 7 ***
Liz's scream echoed endlessly through the cave. The sound paralyzed Max, freezing his muscles. He had to get between DuPris and Liz, but he couldn't move.
No, that wasn't true. He could move-he was moving-turning toward DuPris, but so slowly, it was almost impossible to perceive. Liz and DuPris-they were caught in the same phenomenon. Liz's mouth was still open in the same scream. DuPris hadn't tightened his grasp on her wrist.
Max felt a drop of sweat begin to trickle down his cheek, slowly… absurdly slowly. Time, he thought. The movement of time has been altered.
At least his mind hadn't been affected. At least he had the ability to realize what had happened. Was slowing down time something DuPris had done to stop Max from interfering? Had DuPris already made a connection to Liz? If his brain was working as quickly as Max's, DuPris could be turning her into his puppet right now.
Max couldn't take this. It was making him insane. Liz was right next to him, and he couldn't do anything to help her.
Pressure began to build up behind his eyes, penetrating deep into his brain. He knew that sensation. It came from the collective consciousness, a call for him to connect.
He continued his minuscule movements toward DuPris, the drop of sweat maddening him as it slid another fraction of an inch. Maybe he should connect to the consciousness. Maybe then he'd find a way to manipulate time himself. He concentrated and soon felt himself expand outward-beyond the cave, beyond the realms of Earth.
This time there was no warm ocean of auras waiting to embrace Max. He felt as if he'd been hurled into the core of a volcano, lava boiling around him. Every being in the consciousness was seething with hatred and fury, all directed at Elsevan DuPris. They spewed out emotions they had been holding in for all the years since he escaped from their planet.
Traitor, they called him, although not in words but in rushes of jagged feeling that Max felt in his blood and bones. Traitor. Liar. Thief. Every being joined in the chant. Betrayer. Soulless. Murderer.
Max's mouth stretched open, and a howl of rage escaped, the beings of the consciousness using his voice as their own. Time rushed forward, and instantly Max was in the air, throwing himself at DuPris.
As soon as they hit the cave floor, Max rammed his fist into DuPris's abdomen. His hand sank in so deep that he could feel DuPris's stomach under his fingers. A wave of revulsion swept through him. DuPris's body was as soft as clay-or else connecting to the consciousness had given Max incredible strength.
A burst of power struck Max's temple, but it was as soft as a cotton ball. He had the strength of millions, DuPris the strength of one.
Pain. The consciousness wanted the traitor to feel pain. Suddenly Dupris's face twisted in agonized terror and Max could see inside him. He could see DuPris's insides being ripped apart, could feel DuPris's organs moving beneath his fingers.
Liz let out a long, shrill scream. Max felt like screaming, too. What was he doing? It took every ounce of his strength, but somehow Max pulled his hand away from Dupris's convulsing form. Immediately DuPris started to heal. Max could feel him growing stronger.
"Nooo!" the beings of the consciousness roared.
Max again had no control. He reached in, holding both hands over DuPris's heart. "You're killing him!" he heard Liz scream.
He knew it was true, but he couldn't stop. He was an instrument of the consciousness.
Please, no, he silently begged. He used all his will to squeeze his eyes shut, but he couldn't stop himself from feeling DuPris's heart beneath the skin, fighting against him. Pounding, then slowing, then slamming, then stopping.
"Max! Max!" Liz shrieked his name again and again, her voice vibrating with terror.
He couldn't answer. Dizziness and nausea swirled inside him. He felt as if the cave floor were spinning beneath him. When would it end? When would they let him stop?
He felt his eyelids twitch. He fought to keep them shut as the spinning sensation intensified, but a moment later they sprang open, DuPris's body becoming just a blur of color. "The Stone, the Stone, the Stone, the Stone," the beings of the consciousness shrieked.
Max could see a speck of purplish green in the blur. His hands jerked out. They came back with the ring-and DuPris's finger.
***
"Do you want some antistress tea?" Maria asked. "After that, I think you could definitely use some antistress tea." She got up and rushed to the stove. "Oh, and thanks for meeting here. My m
om has a date, one of those critical third dates, and it's not like she'll ever hire a babysitter for Kevin as long as I'm alive because it's not like I have a life."
Michael wished he could reach over and grab her and pull her down on the chair next to him. She was so clearly terrified by Liz's description of what had happened in the cave, and he had this tremendous urge to just hold her and try to make it better somehow. But he and Maria were in a place where holding her would only make things worse.
Maria pulled in a gasping breath. "Babysitting. Yeah, that's a very big problem," she rushed on. "Why don't we discuss that? Hey, I know, maybe we could form a club. A babysitters' club. That would be something fun for us all to do together."
"Let me help you," Alex said. He jumped up and took the teapot out of Maria's trembling hands.
Michael saw him whisper something in her ear, something that helped her get a grip. He looked away, forcing his attention back to Liz. "So when Max passed out, DuPris just took off?"
Liz nodded. "He used Adam and Isabel to help him out of the cave."
"One of them's probably already healed him," Alex said.
"Yeah," Max agreed.
Michael whipped his head toward the kitchen door and saw his friend slumped against the door frame. "You shouldn't have gotten up," he said. Max looked horrible. His skin had a grayish tint, and there was a strange withered spot on his throat. "Had to," Max answered. He crossed the kitchen and dropped down into the chair next to Michael's.
"We were just about to come up with a plan to deal with DuPris," Alex told him. He started setting down mugs of tea on the table. "Liz… got us up to speed."
Michael was glad that Max hadn't had to relive what had happened. He knew Max had to be torturing himself for what he'd done. That's how he'd think of it-what he'd done.
Michael wasn't looking forward to the day when he went through his akino and made his own connection to the collective consciousness. They'd used Max like a puppet today. It didn't seem all that different from the way DuPris was using Isabel and Adam.
