Part 5

The Oldsmobile rolled down a dark, deserted highway. Only the light of the
bright stars above kept the night from total abyss. Michael was at the
wheel. Isabel sat next to him in the front seat. Liz and Milton shared the
back. The mood was tense. Not a word had been spoken since they left
Roswell. It had already been two hours and they still had almost an hour of
driving left to go.

Liz stared out the window at the blackness. She thought about Max, locked
away in that cold, frightening place. She just wanted to have him home
again safe and sound. She wondered if they would be able to pick up where
they left off when it was all over.

The map led them to an unmarked service road off the main highway. Michael
pulled off the road so Liz and Isabel could hide in the trunk. The ride
would not be comfortable from here on out, but they would be inside the
compound soon. That was, if everything went according to plan.

The service road wound through the desert. Empty, black space loomed before
them as far as the eye could see. Just as Michael was starting to wonder if
he'd taken a wrong turn, a mass of lights rose out of the distance. An
unassuming sign on the side the road confirmed that they were almost there.
"Canyon Ridge Research Center." He swallowed hard and gripped the steering
wheel tightly. He wasn't scared. He couldn't afford to be scared.
Everything was at stake.

As they neared the center, Michael started looking for an escape route.
They had a solid plan for getting in, the problem was going to be getting
out. The compound was surrounded by a barbed wire fence. He couldn't tell
for sure, but it was probably electrified, too. Max would be able to
disable it if they made it that far and didn't have the entire Army behind
them.

No one had discussed it, but just rescuing Max was not going to be enough.
If they had really been performing tests, the evidence would have to be
destroyed as well. He was not planning to leave even a trace of solid proof
behind. He hoped that everyone else was as prepared to do whatever was
necessary to protect their secret and their lives.

A uniformed guard stopped them at the front gate. This was it.

"Can I help you, sir?" asked the guard.

"I have a Dr. Leonard Richter to see Special Agent Kathleen Topolsky."

"You were expected an hour ago."

Michael was caught off guard, but he recovered quickly. "Sorry. Flight was
delayed."

"I see. Just a minute." The guard went back into his kiosk and checked
some papers. Michael peered in the rear view mirror at Milton in the back
seat. He seemed to be holding it together, but just barely. In the corner
of the mirror Michael could see the reflection of his own forehead beaded
with sweat.

Liz and Isabel felt the car come to a stop and knew they had reached the
center. Curled up in the trunk, Liz couldn't see Isabel's face, but she
knew that she had never been more scared in her life. Liz's own heartbeat
was racing. She found Isabel's hand in the dark and held on tightly.

After a few tense minutes the guard came back to the car. Michael tried not
to look nervous. "All right, sir. You're cleared to enter." He slipped a
pass under the windshield. Michael let out the breath he had been holding
ever since they had pulled up to the gate. The guard handed him two plastic
I.D. cards. "These are your credentials. Wear them at all times while on
the premises. Park just ahead and wait there. An escort will come out to
meet you."

"Thank you," said Michael, his jaw clenched. He pulled the car up to the
designated area and parked.

Liz and Isabel heard the car door open and shut. There were three short
knocks on the hood. Michael's signal. Isabel put her hand on the lid of
the trunk and unlocked it with a touch.

"God, it's good to breathe again," she said as they climbed out.

Michael pointed to a dimly lit area beyond the parking lot. "You two wait
over there. Milton... Milton?"

Milton's attention was lost in the wonder of his surroundings. "Well, this
is just amazing. We're actually inside the infamous Canyon Ridge. Do you
realize how few people have seen the things we're about to see? What
secrets this place must hold."

"Isabel?" Michael urged her to say something. He knew if he tried it would
come out all wrong.

Isabel grabbed Milton's shoulders. "Get a hold of yourself, Milton. You
have to remember your cover story. You're a research scientist. You see
this kind of thing every day. It's no big deal, right?"

"Right," he nodded.

"Okay," said Michael. "Now, let's go over this again. Once they lead you
to Max, you pretend you forgot your notes or something and come back to the
car..."

"And tell you where he is. Got it. I'm fine. I just have to get into
character," he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths.

Michael mumbled under his breath, "I can't believe we're trusting our lives
to this guy." He was interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching and
shooed the girls away. "Go! Now!"

* * *

The entire security wing was quiet. Too quiet. Twice during the day a
solitary guard had delivered Max a tray of bland food, placing it just
inside the door and leaving without a word. There had been no other
visitors since Topolsky had left that morning. Max had the feeling that
something was going to happen tonight. One way or the other, he wouldn't be
stuck in this little cell much longer.

It was still too early for Liz to be asleep. He was anxious to join her in
her dreams again. When he was with Liz it seemed like everything was going
to be all right. He wanted to hold her again. He wanted to do a lot more
than that. Last night they'd agreed to wait until they could be together in
person. At the time it made sense. But now he was starting to worry they
would never have the chance.

He had been avoiding the issue, putting it out of his mind to make way for
more pleasant thoughts of Liz. But he couldn't deny it any longer. There
was a very real possibility he was going to die here in this place. He
didn't want that to happen before he could tell Liz how much she meant to
him. And show her.

* * *

The guard escorted Milton down a hallway lit with fluorescent lights to an
elevator. Milton reminded himself of his role and tried to look bored.
When they reached the bottom floor, Topolsky was waiting for him with a team
of lab-coated scientists.

"Dr. Richter, I presume," she said as she shook his hand. He hoped that she
wouldn't notice the sweat congealing on his palms.

"Agent Topolsky, we meet at last."

She looked at him quizzically. "Have we met somewhere before?" she asked.

"No. I'm pretty sure we haven't...?" Milton answered. It almost sounded
like a question.

Topolsky tapped her temple with her index finger. "Photographic memory. I
never forget a face."

"Perhaps you've seen one of my autopsy videos...?"

"Ah. That must be it." Milton nodded and felt the tension in his neck
muscles relax. Topolsky wasn't completely convinced, but she put it aside
for the moment. "Let me welcome you to Canyon Ridge, doctor," she said with
her arm outstretched.

Topolsky led the way through the lab. Milton fell into step with her. The
rest of the team and the guard followed closely behind.

"Since I'm sure you're anxious to get to right to work, I'll give you the
short tour. Then you can see the specimen for yourself."

"Specimen?" asked Milton.

"Didn't I tell you that I'd found it? Proof positive that aliens exist.
Some would consider it the holy grail in our line of work."

"You mean you actually have... aliens here on the premises?" Milton broke
character in a moment of excitement, then remembered himself. "I mean...
hmmm... yes. That sounds quite interesting, agent. Lead the way."

* * *

There were footsteps coming down the corridor. Max could hear Topolsky's
voice speaking to someone. The scientists were back. Could this be the
end? Max's life flashed before his eyes. It had been a good life. At
least he had had the chance to tell Liz the truth about him, and that he
loved her, before it was too late. He hoped that she would forgive him for
getting her mixed up in all of this. He hoped that she would get over his
death eventually.

Topolsky and her team reached the cell. Max was shocked when he saw who was
standing next to her. Milton? What was Milton doing here? He tried not to
show his surprise and relief. Maybe he wouldn't be dying tonight after all.

Milton, too, was surprised when he saw who it was sitting there in the
little gray room.

"What, him? He's a...an...."

"A living, breathing extra-terrestrial life form, doctor. I know that he
looks just like you or me, but I assure you that he's not."

Milton, a doctor? Was this all part of Liz's plan? Did that mean she was
here?

"Amazing. Agent, I left some of my notes in the car. Do you mind if I go
back and get them? I want to document this fully."

"Of course, doctor."

Milton was led out by a guard. Topolsky shot Max a look as if to say, "I
warned you," then left him alone again in his cell.

* * *

Back at the car, Michael was getting anxious. After what seemed an
eternity, Milton finally came back with his escort. Michael looked at Liz
and Isabel across the parking lot and motioned for them to hide. He opened
up the car door and pretended to help Milton look for his notes.

"Looks like your friend Max is in more trouble than we thought," whispered
Milton.

"What kind of trouble?"

"You won't believe this, but they think he's... I can't even say it... they
think Max Evans is an alien."

"And you believed them?"

"Of course not. Craziest thing I ever heard."

Michael shook his head. "Crazy. Now, where is he?"

"Security's pretty tight in there. It'll be tough to get past the guards."

"Let us worry about that. Just tell me how to get there. Then go back and
keep Topolsky away from the detention wing as long as you can."

Milton nodded. "I'll see what I can do."

* * *

Max's mind was racing. Having Milton pose as a scientist must have been
Liz's idea. His Liz. As brilliant as she was beautiful. She could be
somewhere inside the compound at that very minute. Yes, she was there. He
knew it. He couldn't explain how, but he positively knew it.

Something made him remember back to the first night he had tried to go into
her dreams. The connection he had felt - maybe it wasn't his imagination
after all. Maybe he really had reached her that night. And maybe he could
get through to her again.

* * *

Liz and Isabel crouched down behind a dumpster, peering out occasionally to
see what was going on. They watched Milton come back to the car, talk with
Michael, then disappear inside the building again with his shadow. Michael
gave them the signal to come out again. Isabel got up and dusted herself
off. She began slinking across the wall over to the parking lot. Liz
started to follow, but Isabel stopped her.

"No, Liz. It's better if you stay here." Liz wanted to go with her, but
she understood. Isabel had powers that would help her get out of trouble if
need be. Liz, on the other hand, was human and helpless. She didn't want
to be a hindrance.

"I know. You're right. I just... Please be careful, Isabel." Isabel smiled
understandingly and continued to make her way back to Michael.

As Liz turned back to her hiding spot, she had a sudden momentary flash. It
caught her off guard and nearly knocked her off her feet. There weren't any
pictures, just a sense.

The sense of Max. Reaching out for her.

Flash. It came again, this time with emotions attached. He was scared. He
was counting on her. Flash. Was it working? Could she feel him? Flash.
She tried to send back her own feelings. It's working. I'm here Max.
Flash. Relief. Wonder. Love. It was truly amazing. They were completely
connected. It felt like no space existed between them. Their souls were
one.

* * *

Max felt the power of their connection too. Their bodies were separated,
but their minds were joined. He could feel everything she was feeling. He
wondered if she could sense his emotions as clearly. She answered him in
the affirmative. The flashes increased in frequency until they were both
totally enveloped in one, long flash.

He tried to send her a message. His fierce protection came through to her
loud and clear. He did not want her to get hurt. He could not stand to
lose her. She wanted him safe and wanted to help make him safe. She needed
him. There was no arguing, no discussion. Each knew how the other felt.
It was astonishing how much understanding could be accomplished without
words getting in the way.

She gave him a sense of the parking lot where she stood and the building
Michael and Isabel had just entered. Max grew worried for their safety.
The connection fuzzed for a moment, but he was soon back again. There was
nothing either of them could do now but wait. At least they had the benefit
of waiting it out together.

Part 6

Far Away from Here
by Blanca

Part 6

The compound was relatively still as Michael and Isabel snuck up to the door
they had seen Milton use earlier. Michael tried the door. It was locked,
but they could see down the hallway through an oblong shaped window.

Isabel waved her hand over the door and it opened with a click. Michael
pulled the door open just a sliver and Isabel crouched down beneath him to
look inside. At the end of the hallway there was a guard stationed in front
of a security door. A lanky man with glasses came through the door and
stopped at the desk. A plastic ID tag was clipped to the pocket of his
white lab coat. The guard looked over the ID and handed him a clipboard to
sign.

"I'll handle the guard. You take care of the geek," whispered Michael.
Isabel looked up at him and nodded.

They stood on either side of the door waiting for the lanky scientist to
come out. When he opened the door, Isabel grabbed his hand and pulled it
behind him. With the other hand she gagged his mouth. He struggled, but
Isabel was surprisingly stronger than she looked. She concentrated on
stopping the blood flow to his brain temporarily. In seconds he was out
cold.

Michael inhaled and entered the building. He lowered his head and walked
with a determined gait toward the security desk. The guard stopped him,
"Hold it right there. Do you have some ID?"

"Uh, yeah," Michael reached into his shirt pocket for the credential he had
been given at the front gate. The guard watched him carefully. Michael
handed him the plastic card and he looked it over. While the guard's
attention was focused, Michael clasped his hands into fist and forcefully
brought his arms down together over the back of the man's neck.

Isabel soon joined him, now wearing the lanky man's lab coat and glasses,
her hair tied up neatly in a bun. They sat the guard up on his chair.
Michael removed the guard's olive jacket and gun belt and put them both on.
Isabel opened the security door and nodded at him. Michael nodded back and
they took a collective breath as they entered the long corridor and headed
for the elevator at the end.

* * *

"Agent Topolsky, you have a phone call," said one of the scientists. She
excused herself and went inside the little glass office that looked out onto
the lab.

Milton entered the lab just as she was finishing her call. She hung up the
phone and came out of the office with a sweet smile that made him somehow
uncomfortable.

"Ah, Dr. Richter. You're back. I trust you found your notes."

"Yes. Yes I did."

"Good. You wouldn't want to miss a single detail. After all, this project
will be quite the coup to show off to your colleagues at MIT."

"Right," he answered.

"Now, before we go back to the detention wing there's something special I'd
like to show you."

"Really? What?"

"Just something our surveillance team picked up on video a few days ago."

"Well, that would be stimulating, agent." Milton was hoping he wouldn't
have to do much to keep her away from Max while Michael and Isabel made
their way to him.

Agent Topolsky grinned as one of the lab assistants rolled over a cart with
a television monitor and a VCR. She popped in a tape and turned on the TV.
Milton's jaw nearly dropped when the interior of the UFO Center appeared.
He tried to remain calm, hoping that by some miracle his cover had not been
blown. Max appeared on the screen arranging the displays, picking up trash
and getting the exhibits ready as he usually did before the museum opened.
Then, from the corner of the screen, Milton appeared and pointed to an
exhibit in the corner that needed Max's attention. Damn.

"Now, would you care to explain to me, Dr. Richter, why you look exactly
like a certain UFO museum curator in Roswell who just happens to be Max
Evans' boss?"

"Well, it... it may look that way. Yes. But then, quality of that tape is
very poor. It must be a coincidence."

"A coincidence? I just talked to the car service. Seems there was a mix-up
at the airport. Dr. Richter was never picked up. And by the way, he went
to Harvard, not MIT." Milton could feel sweat starting to leak out of every
pore. There was nothing he could say now. He had been caught. "I knew I
recognized you. I'm not going to let Max Evans and his friends get the best
of me this time." The agent turned her head to the two guards standing at
Milton's side. He hadn't noticed them until now. "Restrain him. Then
search the compound thoroughly. I'll bet he's got some co-conspirators
around here somewhere. Find them." Then she motioned to two guards who
were standing near the door. "You two are with me. We're going to make
sure our guest isn't going anywhere."

* * *

Liz crouched down beside the dumpster. She wasn't sure if the anxiety she
was feeling was her own or Max's. They were still connected and it was
getting increasingly difficult to tell where she left off and he began.

From around the corner of the building she heard footsteps. Someone was
coming. Quickly, she climbed into the dumpster. At the other end of the
connection Max seemed amused at her repulsed reaction to the trash now
beneath her feet. She tried to convey to him that it wasn't funny, but the
feeling of amusement only increased.

It stopped completely, however, when Max sensed the fear that Liz was
suddenly projecting.

From inside the dumpster she heard the guard speak into his portable radio.
"Base 1 this is Alpha. No sign of the intruders. Q4 sector is secure."

Intruders? She wasn't sure if she had heard him right. Did they know they
were here? Liz huddled under a discarded bookcase as the guard poked his
head over the rim of the dumpster. Max sent her waves of calmness and
courage, though he couldn't hide the undercurrent of terror that came with
them.

The radio hissed back, "Copy that, Alpha. Continue your present search
pattern." They were definitely looking for them. Liz was safe for the
moment in her hiding spot, but she had to find a way to warn Isabel and
Michael.

Despite the strong protests from Max, she pulled out a shelf from the
bookcase and carefully stood up. Hearing the noise, the guard whirled
around but only in time to see the heavy wooden plank come crashing down
over his head. He collapsed at the base of the dumpster.

There was something new emanating from Max now, something besides the fear.
It was almost close to amazement mingled with pride and even a little
gratitude. All of it was mixed with the ever-present emotion of pure, true
love.

* * *

Isabel and Michael exited the elevator and found themselves in a brightly
lit hallway with white ceilings and white walls that seemed to extend out
into infinity. Michael remembered the directions Milton had given him.
Turn left, then right, then right again and look for a door marked D1-4.

Isabel scanned the top of the walls and soon found what she was looking for
in the corner above the elevator. "Michael," she whispered and pointed to a
small black camera directly above them, its mechanical eye trained down the
corridor beyond.

"Can you...?" he whispered back.

"I think so. Help me up." Michael bent over and clasped his hands to form
a step. Isabel flattened herself against the wall and stepped into
Michael's hands, using his shoulder for balance. She reached up underneath
the camera and touched it. There was a spark and a burning smell. Knowing
she had succeeded, Michael let her down carefully.

"I coulda done that," Michael joked.

Isabel shrugged, "Where did you think I learned it from?"

They followed the directions through the underground complex. A few
scientists and technicians scurried through the halls, nodding polite
greetings as they passed. Everyone seemed too concerned about where they
had been or where they were going to be suspicious of the two out-of-place
teenagers. Finally, Michael and Isabel reached the door marked D1-4, just
as Milton had described it. Isabel opened it and they entered the detention
wing. Several rows of unmarked gray cells sat empty. Michael tried not to
imagine what their intended purpose was. After passing though two identical
chambers, they finally came to the row that held Max's cell.

Max heard the faint sound of two sets of footprints coming toward his
cubicle. He knew it wasn't the scientists this time. They usually entered
with more bravado. It had to be Michael and Isabel. He felt them coming
long before he saw their faces.

When they finally reached him, the three shared a tense reunion. Max could
swear that Isabel was shaking, but it was something only a brother would
notice. To the casual observer she would have seemed like the same old
cool, calm Isabel. Michael, on the other hand, was a wreck. He was
sweating profusely and his eyes were wild with nervous energy. Neither of
them wanted to be here any more than Max did. But they had come. For him.

Before any of them could say a word, the door at other end of the corridor
opened and Topolsky entered with two military men. Isabel and Michael
turned and stared. There was nothing else they could do. The men trained
their rifles on them as Topolsky approached the glass door.

"Sorry, Max. Visiting hours are over." She passed his cubicle and used her
key card to open the glass doors to the next two cells in the row, then
returned to face him. "But I think we can arrange to have your friends stay
with us for a while," she said with a sweetly sinister smile. Max felt his
stomach churn.

* * *

Liz felt it too. She knew she had to get in there somehow. She was hardly
thinking straight now. Her body moved of its own will, driven by one
singular desire -- to get to Max. She was running on pure adrenaline and
instinct. It completely eclipsed the fear she had been feeling earlier and
gave her a strength she would not have expected.

She climbed out of the dumpster and searched the guard's pockets until she
found his key card. She headed straight for the door that Michael and
Isabel had passed through. The guard at the security desk was unconscious,
propped up in his chair as if he'd simply fallen asleep on the job. Liz
slid the card into the reader and heard the lock click open. There was an
elevator at the end of the hallway. Knowing that Max was underground, she
took the elevator to the bottom floor.

When the elevator reached the bottom she looked up and saw the camera, still
smoking from either Michael or Isabel's handiwork. She was on the right
track, but where to go from here? There was an overhead sign in the
corridor ahead. It read "Laboratory." It was as good a place to start as
any.

The security key unlocked the door and she opened it hesitantly. She found
Milton inside, bound and gagged in an office chair. Fortunately he was
alone. She headed over to his chair and untied the knot that held the cloth
over his mouth.

"Liz! You've got to get out of here. They know you're here. They're
looking for you right now. The guard will be back any second."

"Shh. I know, Milton. But we've got to get Max first." She continued
untying him. "And you're going to take me to him."

"Hold it right there!" A guard entered the room, his gun aimed at Liz. She
froze. Her eyes darted over to a silver table nearby filled with
instruments -- instruments that could easily be used as weapons. Her glance
did not go unnoticed by the guard who barked, "Don't even think about it."

Liz stood with her arms at her side, fidgeting anxiously. She tucked a
strand of her long, dark hair behind one ear and resorted to the first thing
that came to her mind. She tried to reason with him. "Okay. Maybe we can
talk about this. See, this is all just a big misunderstanding. You've got
my boyfriend locked up somewhere in this place for no good reason and I'm
just trying to get in to see him."

"I don't give a damn about your love life, miss. Just put your hands where
I can see them." Liz raised her hands slowly. Out of the corner of her
eye, she noticed Milton rolling his chair closer to the guard. She kept on
rambling, hoping that it would provide a distraction.

"You people all seem to think that he's, like, this dangerous monster or
something, but he's really not. He's gentle. And sweet. He would never
hurt anyone. He doesn't deserve this. He just wants to have a normal life.
Why can't you understand that? Why can't you just leave him alone?"

The guard didn't seem to be swayed by her pleas, but she had kept him
interested enough that he hadn't noticed Milton, who had made his way over
to the guard. As soon as he was close enough, Milton leaned over and bit
the guard on the arm as hard as he could. This distracted him long enough
for Liz to grab a sharp scalpel-like instrument from the table and jab it
into his thigh. She grabbed the gun as he doubled over in pain.

"Sorry. I'm sorry." She felt silly for apologizing to the man who would
have shot her without a second thought, but she couldn't help it.

In the back of her mind she could sense that Max was caught up in his own
struggle. Things were not going well. She felt a surge of energy coming
from him. There was too much going on in her head right now. She couldn't
think. She needed Max. Everything would be all right when she reached Max.

* * *

Max decided that it was time for action. It was one thing for him to be a
prisoner and a lab rat, but he would not have Isabel and Michael subjected
to it. There wasn't much left to lose at this point anyway. He placed his
hand on the glass door and concentrated. The glass shattered into a
thousand jagged fragments, echoing the anger and pain he was feeling inside.
The guards jumped back, their formerly stern expressions now bearing a
hint of fear. Topolsky just stood there amused.

"It's about time you showed us what you're really capable of."

Max walked barefoot through the glass that now littered the opening to his
cell and grabbed her by the hair. He tried to control his anger, but it was
all he could do to keep from snapping her neck. "Let them go," he said
calmly but firmly. "Let them all go." He knew by this time that Liz had
been caught trying to free Milton. "I'll do what you want. I'll cooperate
and work for you. Just promise me they will be free, safe and unharmed."

"No, Max," said Isabel. "I'm not leaving without you."

"It's all of us or none of us, Maxwell," added Michael.

Max understood. He would not have left without them either. There was only
one way now -- to fight their way out. He nodded to Michael and Isabel.
They knew what he was planning. He let Topolsky fall to the floor and
lunged for one of the rifles. Michael grabbed the other one. Their hands
glowed simultaneously until the metal turned to liquid and melted at their
feet. Feeling suddenly vulnerable without their weapons, the men reached
for their radios to call for back-up. Michael grabbed the shoulder of one
of the men and swung him around. He threw a punch with a force so strong it
knocked the man into the wall.

Max pulled back and connected solidly with the other man's jaw. He realized
that it was the first time in his life he had ever hit anyone in anger. He
was a little bothered by the satisfaction it gave him. While contemplating
this, he failed to notice that Agent Topolsky, still on the ground, had
grabbed one of the men's radios and was now calling for back-up herself.

"This is Topolsky. Code Red in Detention Wing Four. Repeat. Code Red.
Send as many units as you can. Now."

"Let's go, Maxwell, before the cavalry arrives," said Michael. Max and
Michael headed down the hall, but stopped when they noticed that Isabel
wasn't following.

Isabel crouched down, her forearms resting on her knees, and faced Topolsky
eye to eye. "When we get out of here, and we will, you had better hope that
you never see any of us again because I'll tear you apart so fast you'll
wish you had never even heard of Roswell." Both of them knew that she meant
it. Isabel stood up and kicked Topolsky in the face as hard as she could.
"That was for Max." Isabel swore that she heard a meek whimper before the
woman collapsed into a heap without a trace of the cool, professional facade
she usually wore.

* * *

Liz knew what had happened through her link with Max before the announcement
came over the speakers. "Code Red. Section D-4. All units respond
immediately."

A tight cluster of troops passed by them without even turning their heads.
Liz and Milton headed for the detention wing, hoping by some chance they
would get to Max before it was too late.

Suddenly, a bright light glowed in the wall up ahead and Max, Michael and
Isabel passed through it. This time, Milton's jaw did drop as he stared at
the three teenagers who had just seemingly come out of nowhere.

"Shortcut," said Isabel with a tilt of her head.

"Max?" said Liz, hardly believing that they were really face to face again.
At last.

"Liz," he said softly. And in an instant they were in each others arms.
The feelings were so strong that neither one of them could speak another
word. They just held onto each other, silently promising never to be
separated again.

"Oh come ON, you two. There'll be time for that later. We've got to keep
moving," chided Michael.

"Right," said Max with a hint of reluctance.

They ran past the laboratory and Liz shouted, "Wait! What about the lab?
All those tests. The evidence."

"We've got to destroy it. No proof, Maxwell," said Michael.

"No proof," Max agreed.

They entered the room, empty now that all the guards were looking for them.
Max reached his hand out over the desk and a fire blazed forth. Isabel and
Michael started fires of their own in separate corners of the room. Liz
tossed the computers off the desk one by one and they each landed with a
crash. They smashed the petrie dishes, test tubes, slides, anything they
could find that possibly held some part of Max. Milton just stood there,
not believing his own eyes.

"You guys!" cried Liz. "Look at this." The three aliens stopped their
vandalism momentarily and came over to see what Liz had found. It was a
storage room filled with shelves and shelves of video tapes. Max pulled out
one of the tapes at random. The label read 'Roswell Elementary 9/24/94.'
Another read 'Crashdown Cafe 8/9/97.'

"Oh my god," said Isabel, holding a tape that read 'Evans Residence
11/11/96.' "They've been watching us for years."

"They've always been watching," said Max. With a wave of his hand the tape
in Isabel's hand burst into flames. It didn't startle her. Instead she
just watched it burn as a tear rolled down her cheek. "They always will."

They destroyed as much as they could, including another room's worth of
videos. When they had either burned or smashed everything in sight, Max
parted the flames and the five of them slipped into the corridor. From
there it wasn't too difficult to pass through the walls to the stairwell and
climb up the three floors to the surface. The fire would be contained
eventually. They just hoped that enough evidence would be gone by then.

The car was still parked where they had left it. Evidently the guards had
not managed to connect them with it. A least something had gone right.
Michael headed for the driver's side door and Isabel sat shotgun. Max
ushered a very dazed Milton into the back, then helped Liz with a kiss to
her hand before finally climbing in himself.

Michael sped off toward the front gate, plowing right through the wooden
barrier without stopping. They hadn't had to go through the electrified
fence after all. Isabel wondered how Alex was going to feel when they
brought back his dad's car in this condition. She made a mental note to fix
it for him before Alex had to return it.

* * *

The car sped away down the formerly quiet desert highway, leaving only a
swirling cloud of dust in its wake. Behind them the bright flood lights of
the Canyon Ridge Research Center grew gradually dimmer until they faded away
completely into the distance. Everyone was thankful for the darkness when
it returned.

Milton, who had been slowly processing the events of the last hour finally
got the nerve to speak up, "So... what was that back there? With the
walking through walls and the fire and all that? Who... who are you
people?"

"Oh, I'm sorry Milton. In all the commotion I didn't get a chance thank
you," said Max apologetically. "You've been a big help to us." He looked
to Isabel in the passenger's seat. She knew what he was asking and nodded
in agreement. "So, I think you deserve to know."

"Know what?"

Michael's exasperation finally got the best of him and he exclaimed, "He's
an alien, all right! We're all aliens. Jeez, do you need me to draw you a
map?" Isabel and Max tried to hide their amused grins.

Milton barely blinked. He had already seen so many unexplained events
tonight that one more revelation didn't make any difference. "Even her?" he
asked, pointing to Liz.

"No. She's normal," said Isabel.

"Oh," said Milton, settling back to think on it some more.

The rest of the trip was spent in silence, which was fine by all of them.

* * *

Epilogue:

The sound of soft music floated over Liz's balcony. A dozen candles
flickered and glowed, creating an almost magical light. Liz and Max sat
next to each other on a lounge chair, talking and laughing, all the pain of
their recent ordeal put aside for the moment.

"I really did all of those things?" he chuckled.

"Yeah, you did," said Liz, with a nervous laugh. Her eyes wandered over to
the brick wall, where the large heart still read "M.E. + L.P." A symbol of
his love. Liz sighed.

Max stood up and touched the plus sign just as he had the night he had drawn
it. It glowed bright red. Liz smiled. With a wave of his hand, it
disappeared as if it had never been there. She couldn't hide the
disappointment on her face when it was gone. Seeing her expression, Max
carefully loosened a brick from the wall and waved his hand over the back
side of it. The heart appeared once again in a smaller version.

He replaced the brick and whispered in a warm, husky voice, "Now you'll
always know it's there."

"Thank you, Max." She meant it in more ways than one.

"Thank you, Liz. For everything."

"You saved my life too, you know. And I'm not just talking about the
shooting."

Max smiled and reached out his hand to stroke her hair. Just then, Maria
poked her head through Liz's bedroom window. She was still wearing her
waitress uniform, having just finished her shift in the cafe downstairs.
"Hey."

"Hey, Maria," said Liz, tearing her gaze from Max for a brief moment.

"Everything's all locked up, so I'm going to head on home."

"Thanks. I owe you one."

"You owe me several." Maria saw the way the two of them were looking at
each other and suddenly felt like a third wheel. "So... your parents are
out stargazing again tonight?"

"Yeah," said Liz without taking her eyes from Max this time.

"Guess you guys will probably want to be alone then, huh?"

Max and Liz didn't answer. They just shared a knowing smile, as if
something unspoken had passed between them.


The End!