A Lesson in Sacrifice
Part 13
Sam was sitting at the Evans’ kitchen table, working on Max’s trig homework. It was just something to do to pass the time while he waited for Al to come back from spying on Tess. He actually found it relaxing. There was something about numbers, about how there was always a solution when tackling a math problem, that comforted him. After completing the first part of Max’s assignment in less than 15 minutes, Sam grew concerned that maybe doing Max’s homework would not be helping the boy. A quick look through the young man’s notes and exercise books quelled his worry. This was one area of his life where Max Evans definitely didn’t need Sam Beckett’s help. He may not have been the genius that Sam was, but he was a straight-A student.
“SAM!!”
Sam was so concentrated on Max’s homework that he didn’t notice Al’s return until the Observer hailed him. He jumped out of his chair, more than a little startled.
“My God, Al! Don’t sneak up on me like that! That’s why we have a door to the Imaging Chamber, you know…” his voice trailed off when he noticed the state Al was in.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, immediately concerned.
“You have to come quick! The evil witch!!”
“Who? Tess?”
“Yes! Hurry! You have to go to Liz!”
“Liz?! Is she hurt?”
But Al didn’t answer the question. He was already outside by the Jeep, waving his arms furiously. Leaving all of Max’s schoolbooks on the kitchen table, Sam was by his side in seconds.
“She’s at the Crashdown. Go!!”
Sam didn’t argue. He got into the Jeep’s driver seat and didn’t stop until he reached the Crashdown a few minutes later.
He burst through the door of the mostly empty restaurant, Al right behind him. It was mid-afternoon, the slow period between the lunch and dinner rushes. A man was sitting at the counter in front of a cup of coffee, reading a newspaper. He raised his head when Sam entered.
Maria turned towards the door when she heard it open, her antennae bobbing on her head, following the motion.
“Max!” she exclaimed. He looked panicked. She didn’t like that one bit.
“Where’s Liz? Is she okay?”
“Why wouldn’t she be okay? Max, what’s going on?” she asked, instantly worried.
Sam ignored Maria’s questions and repeated his own. “Maria, where is she?”
“Upstairs. She looked fine when she came in.”
“When was that?” he asked, practically running to the door in the back of the restaurant that led to Liz’s home.
“Just a couple of minutes ago. Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
She started to follow him but at the last moment remembered the customer at the counter. She turned to the man, gave him a smile that looked more like a worried frown and said, “I’ll be right back”. Without waiting for his acknowledgement she ran up the stairs and caught up with Sam in the Parkers’ kitchen.
“Liz!! Are you okay?” Sam asked urgently, pulling the very surprised brunette into his arms.
Something like hope crossed Liz’s eyes and Sam’s heart tightened a bit when he guessed what she was thinking, even before she asked in a timid voice, “Max?”
“No,” he answered, ignoring the look from Maria. “Are you okay? Where were you?”
“I…” she started, trying to hide her disappointment that Max hadn’t yet returned. “I was at Kyle’s to ask him about what happened.”
“Was Tess there?”
“Yeah. She told me Kyle had football practice, so I came back home.”
“That’s it? Nothing else happened?”
“No, nothing. Max, you’re worrying me! What’s going on?”
At the same time, Al was practically yelling, “She made her forget!! I was there. Sam, she told Liz her whole evil plan, then just erased her memory!!”
Maria was still standing by the kitchen door. “Would somebody care to clue me in?”
Three conversations were too much for Sam to carry all at once. “Quiet!!” he said, raising his voice to be heard above the noisy din.
“Sam! She must be stopped!”
Sam pointed a finger in the Observer’s direction, warning him to be quiet.
“One at a time, please. Me first!” he added quickly, when he saw that his three companions were about to repeat their comments.
“Okay. First things first. Liz, you still haven’t answered my question. Are you alright?”
“Yes,” she answered.
“Good. Maria, don’t you have a customer waiting?” He hated to be so rude, but he needed to have a conversation with both Al and Liz, and explaining Max’s current situation to Maria didn’t seem like the best course of action right now. “I promise we’ll tell you everything later,” he added gently.
Maria crossed her arms over her chest. “Alien business?” she asked.
“I’m afraid so,” Sam replied.
She hated to be left out of the loop, but she had to concede that he had a point. “You swear you will tell me everything later?”
“As soon as we straighten it out,” Sam promised.
“Okay,” she said finally. “You know where you can find me.” And with that, she turned and made her way back to the restaurant.
Sam turned his attention to Liz.
“Can we go to your room and talk?”
“Um… sure. Just what IS going on?” she asked once they had reached her bedroom. She closed the door behind them. Sam sat down on the bed. Liz stood next to her dresser, while Al paced around the room restlessly, walking in and out of furniture.
“Could you please stand still?” Sam asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice. Al complied and stood next to the window.
Sam looked at Liz. “You went to the Valentis to ask Kyle about the eraser room again.”
“Yes,” Liz nodded.
“But he was out so you talked to Tess.”
“Yes.”
“What did she say?”
“Just that. That he was out. Football practice.”
“No, she didn’t!! Well, yes, she did, but first she—“
“Al!” Sam interrupted. “I know. But I want to hear what Liz remembers first.”
“What I remember?” Liz really didn’t like the sound of that. She started drumming her fingers on the dresser nervously. “You mean… she mindwarped me? What I remember is not what happened?” Her voice was quickly rising. Sam could tell that she was nearly in a panic. He didn’t blame her. He didn’t know how he would react if he had just found out that someone had been messing with his head. The irony that he was kind of doing the same thing to the people he leaped into was not lost on him. He stood next to her and started rubbing her back soothingly.
“It’s okay,” he said gently. “Al was there. He heard everything.”
He turned to the Observer. “Your turn, Al.”
Al told the story of everything that had happened from the moment Tess caught Liz spying on her to the alien’s first attempt at mindwarping the girl. Sam diligently repeated everything for Liz. As she listened, Liz felt the anger rise inside of her. It started at the pit of her stomach and spread all over her body. She could feel every nerve in her body tingling with it. She had never been so angry in her life. She didn’t know if anything could stop her from killing Tess with her bare hands the next time she’d see the scheming hybrid. As Sam was explaining that she had resisted the first mind warp, she exploded.
“How dare she?! That-- that-- BITCH!!” she spat. Sam stopped talking and resumed his soothing motions on her back. She was shaking like a leaf.
“How could she? She said she wanted to be their friends, that they were the same! They’re not like her! They could never be as evil as her, even if they wanted to! Why would anyone want to hurt them? All they ever wanted was to live a normal life!” She realized that she was yelling, but she couldn’t stop.
“And to think that I almost gave up everything… EVERYTHING! So that Max could be with her when all she wanted to do was use him, then kill him.” The meaning of what she had just said finally sunk in. She blinked back tears as she looked at Sam. “She wants Max dead.” Her shoulders sagged at the realization. “She could kill him.” Liz suddenly felt dizzy. Sam caught her just before she hit the bed.
“There, easy. Easy.” He helped her lie down. He quickly walked to the bathroom and came back with a wet cloth and a glass of water. Liz gratefully accepted the glass. He put the cloth on her forehead and gently pushed her back down, taking the empty glass from her hands. He sat next to her and pushed the hair off her face delicately. “It’s not going to happen. We won’t let it happen.”
She was crying openly now. “What are we going to do? She’s stronger than they ever suspected. Who knows what else she can do?”
“Al said that you resisted the first mindwarp. If the whole group confronts her, she may not be able to mindwarp us all at once. Especially if we know she’ll try and we resist.”
Liz nodded, wiping the tears off her cheek with the back of her hand. She sat up.
“We should call a meeting,” she said, her voice much stronger. “We could all meet downstairs after closing.”
“Good idea,” Sam agreed. He looked at Al. “Will Tess try anything before we get a chance to warn the others?”
Al fished the handlink out of his pocket and punched a few keys. “Not likely. Her next move will either be to take everyone to that place in Arizona, or to try and get into Max’s pants. Either way, you need to be there,” he shrugged.
“Right,” Sam said. “Let’s go tell the others.”
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