Standard stuff:
Title:Touch of Death {cryptic huh}
Author: Kathryn C.
Disclaimer: Me No Own.
Distribution: You want it, you take it, just give me
the URL.
Feedback: Send it, or I don't feel like writing.
Well, maybe for some of you, you might want
that.SEND IT, SEND IT, SEND IT. I won't
stop writing, so I can't threaten that, but please
send it. Let me know you're reading.
Rating: Uh, pg-13/14a?
Spoilers: Well, it's mostly speculation based on
spoilers mentioned. But, spoilers for Sexual Healing
and the whole "T" person storyline.
********
"Hurry up," Maria hissed through the dark.
"I'm hurrying," Max hissed back as he waved his hand over the doorknob. "Just wanted to make sure I would know how to change the lock back to it's original form."
"We just have to get out of here as fast as we can," Michael said softly as they slid into the room.
"What's the hurry?" Max asked as he shuffled through the papers on Topolski's desk. "Everyone's gone from the school for the night, including the janitorial staff."
"In case we signaled some unknown alarm or someone saw us coming into a dark school at 3 AM," Maria said quickly to Max.
"What exactly are we looking for?" Alex asked as he opened up Topolski's laptop which she had left there.
"Something that we can 'annonymously' circulate around the school to prove that she's an agent, or something to send to her bosses to get them pissed at her, or just plain info on everything," Michael said, grabbing Toposki's day planner.
"God, for an FBI agent she isn't too careful with her files," Maria said as she pulled a stack of files from the unlocked filing cabinet.
The only sound for the next couple minutes was Alex typing on the computer, trying to hack into Topolski's password protected files.
"Hey guys," Maria mumbled, holding her flashlight in her mouth as she flipped through papers, "I think I found something."
They all gathered around her. She was staring at a piece of paper with the words "Project Red Star?"
"Red star?" Alex asked in confusion, "What the heck does that mean.
Maria shrugged and looked at the rest of the page. Under the heading their was a subtitle "Trial one". There were pictures of 3 people. They were photocopies so it was hard to tell the ages of the 3 people. They looked in about their thirties though. The word "Terminated" in big red letters was scrawled across the entire page.
Maria flipped to the next page. It too was entitled Project Red Star. It said 'Trial Two." Again, there were pictures of 3 people whom she estimated to be in their twenties. The big red letters of "Terminated" were scrawled across the pages yet again.
The next page, "Trial Three" had pictures of Max, Michael and Isabel. There were little question marks beside their smiling faces. There was no 'terminated' across their page.
"I wonder exactly what terminated means," Max said in a shaky voice.
"I recognize her," Maria said, flipping back to the second trial. "She used to work at the Crashdown a couple of years ago. She had just moved back from college and hadn't found a job yet. Then, one day she just disappeared and nobody has heard from her since."
"That means she was an alien too," Michael said in an almost awed voice. "All of those other six were. There were more of us."
"Key word being 'more'," Max said in a bitter voice. "I would bet any money the FBI didn't exactly let them go back to their normal lives after the tests failed or whatever."
"My God," Michael breathed, trying to absorb this all at once. "They were just taken from their homes and families and never heard from again."
"And they are trying to do the same thing to us," Max said in a grim voice. "You, me and Isabel. They need us to take the place of those other aliens."
"I wonder if there are more," Michael said, shining his flashlight over each of the pictures individually, "Any more like us."
Max shrugged. He grabbed some more files from Maria and began to flip through them. There were other papers, different projects. "Project Green Moon";"Project Sun Spot"; "Project Pluto";"Project Aqilonoid", were just a few of the names. Each project had a different number of trials, each with pictures of each subject. Some were 'terminated', some not.
"I can't believe this," Maria said as she read over Max's shoulder. "The government is crazy. They just kidnap people and take them in for testing."
"They could do this to us at any time," Michael said, pacing around the room. "I don't see how the hell we're supposed to protect ourselves. They are everywhere and unstoppable. And, they want us."
"I'm in to her e-mail again," Alex said from behind the computer. Maria went over to look as Max read over the files and Michael paced furiously around the room.
"Anything good?" Maria asked.
Alex nodded and turned the screen to her. There was
an official looking FBI sign in the corner of the
e-mail. It read:
Agent Topolski,
The head office in Washington is getting impatient.
They want the the trial for project red star to get
underway immediately. With the loss of the
half-breed, we need you to step up the pace. We must
know if these kids are the genuine article
immediately. Otherwise, we will just take them in
anyway, and you will be disposed of. Do not fail.
Agent Lodson
"You think she would delete her sensitive e-mail after reading it," Maria said, shaking her head. "Unfortunately, we can't exactly use this as proof for the student body. E-mail's easy to fake."
Alex nodded, "But it can't hurt to read for info. I"m also trying to retrieve all the messages she's sent in the past few days."
"Just check the sent folder," Maria muttered as she walked away, "She probably forgot to delete them from there."
She walked over to Michael who was now staring out the window of the office. He had a brooding look on his face.
"It'll be okay," she said comfortingly, putting her hand on his shoulder. "We'll get rid of her, and protect you guys from the FBI. They can't just take you away."
Michael gave a humourless laugh, "They did it to all those other people. I assure you, they can do it to us."
"But," Maria said, trying to lighten it a little, "Those guys probably didn't have the help of 3 humans."
Michael didn't say anything, just turned around and wrapped her in a hug. She held him back tightly, not ever wanting to let go. There was no way in hell she was letting anyone take him away from her.
"I do love you, you know," she said quietly, her mouth muffled from being buried into his shoulder.
"What did you say?" Michael asked, pulling back slightly.
"I love you," Maria mumbled quietly. "It's not like you have to return the sentiment or anything. I just wanted you to know that when I said it before, I was really telling the truth. Just in case...."her voice trailed off.
"In case they take me away," Michael said in a sad voice.
"But they won't," Maria said stubbornly. She quickly hid the hurt that he hadn't said he loved her. Not that she expected him to. She knew all along that Michael didn't love. But, she had still made the mistake of hoping. "We will keep you all with us Michael. I swear it to you. You're not going to be taken away."
He shrugged, "Don't make promises you can't keep."
"I mean it Michael," she said firmly. "You're stuck here in Roswell with us whether you like it or not."
"Listen," she said, turning away embarrassed, "We should start putting this stuff away and get going."
Michael grabbed her arm and she looked back at him. "Iloveyoutoo," he managed to get out. Really quickly. Maria got the meaning though, and smiled softly. She kissed him gently on the lips, and went to help Max put back the files.
"My, my my." a voice said from the door. "I could have you all arrested you know."
They turned around to see Miss Topolski standing in the doorway to her office, holding Liz and Isabel whom they had left as lookouts. She held a gun to Liz's head.
"Let's have a little talk." she said in a grim voice, releasing the safety.
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