Rating: PG
Category: Crossover
Disclaimer: I don’t own Roswell or Dark Angel
Summary: Prequel to ‘A Sequel Family’ this is Liz and Kyle’s story about how they started their new lives in Roswell.
There will probably be five parts:
Part 1: Sheriff Valenti
Part 2: Settling
Part 3:The Parkers
Part 4:Maria
Part 5: Alex
Part 1: Sheriff Valenti
“Hanson, I’m at the last stop on my rounds. I should be back at the station soon.” Sheriff Valenti stated into his radio.
“Roger, Sheriff. No hurry, radio’s been quiet all night.” Hanson said back.
Sheriff Valenti made his way into the old soap factory. Once a week he or one of his deputies would check the old factory for damage done by teenagers or squatters. This week he had decided to do it himself since the night was slow and he didn’t feel like going home. His wife was Clovis and wouldn’t be back for a week. He finished checking the first floor and started on the second one. He was half way through when he discovered squatters’ nest. It consisted of a few blankets, two packs and what looked like the remnants of some food. He bent down to examine the packs when he heard something to his left. He spun around gun drawn and found himself aiming his firearm at what looked to be an eight-year old boy. He looked like any other boy with his clothes and short hair but had seriousness in his eyes that he had never seen in a child. And he showed no fear of the gun. “Hold it right there.” He ordered.
The boy stayed where he was so the Sheriff decided to question him. “What are you doing here? Where are you’re parents?” But before he got an answer, he felt a kick hitting his arm. The gun went flying and before he knew it he was on the ground with his hands bound by his own handcuffs behind his back. When he had his wits gathered he could hear the boy talking, “It took you long enough.”
“I had to make sure he was alone before I gave away my location.” He heard another voice say. He looked up to see another young child that he could tell was a girl. Her hair was slightly longer than the boy and had large brown eyes that held the same seriousness in them. From what they were saying she was the one to take him down but someone of her size shouldn’t be able to do that.
“Who are you kids?”
“No one you need to worry about.” The boy said. He turned to the girl and said, “We better get out of here before someone comes looking for him.” He went and started folding up the blankets but the girl just stared at the bound Sheriff.
“If you kids are running from a bad home or something, I can help you. You won’t have to go back there.” He said trying to do as he said and help them. “You don’t have to keep running.”
“What are you going to do? Turn us in to some orphanage? They’ll find us there.”
There was something about these two kids that made him want to protect them. “I won’t call child services if you don’t want me to. You two can just come back with me to my house. After a decent nights sleep and a meal, if you still want to leave I won’t tell anyone or call anyone. You have my word.”
The boy was about to protest but the little girl beat him to it. “Ky, he doesn’t want to hurt us. We can trust him.”
The boy, Ky, looked at the girl. “You know we have to be careful. Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure.” She leaned over and removed the key from his belt. When she did the Sheriff was able to see a black barcode tattoo on the back of her neck. She unlocked his hands and let him get up. “If you double cross us, you’ll regret it.”
“Get your stuff. I’ll take you to my house now. It’s empty, my wife is out of town.” He was thrown for a loop when both kids snapped to attention and said, “Yes, sir.”
For a moment Jim merely stared at the young girl. She had said sir, and in a diminutive tone, as though he were her senior… her commander. “My name’s Valenti. Sheriff Valenti. You are?”
“I’m 44…um Ky. This is my sister Liz, Sir.”
“No, sir just Sheriff.” He said as he opened the door to his SUV and they climbed in the back. He got on his radio and told Hanson that the warehouse was all clear and that he was heading home. He drove the trip to his house in silence neither kid said anything. When they hit the town limits he told the kids to get down so that they wouldn’t be seen, and pulled into his garage so they could get into the house.
“You can each take a shower while I rustle you up some food. I’ll get you something to change into and we can wash your clothes and anything else you have.” He said. He hurried to his and his wife’s bedroom. He grabbed a pair of spandex shorts and a small shirt of his wife’s for Liz and one of his own T-shirts and a pair of his boxers for Ky. He knew that both kids would be swimming in the clothes but it was the best he could do. He came back out into the living room and saw both kids standing rigid by the windows, standing guard to make sure they were safe. He walked up to Liz and handed her the clothes. “Everything you need is already in the bathroom. Take as long as you want.”
“Thank you sir….um Sheriff.” He smiled at the small girl and saw the first hint of a smile from either kids appearing on her face. She headed out of the room and he headed over to Ky. “Here’s your clothes. There’s another bathroom through my bedroom.”
“I’ll wait.” He said with a stoic face.
Valenti could see that the boy would be the harder of the two to win over. “Why did you listen to your sister about me back at the warehouse?”
“Because Liz said you weren’t going to hurt us. She has a way of reading people, her feelings are always right.” If he knew anything it was that he could always trust her judgment. She had never been wrong before and she always knew whom to trust.
“Then trust me when I say that I’ll watch over you both as long as I’m around. Now go on, you’re safe here.” Ky stood for a moment looking at him before heading to the second bathroom. Valenti walked into the kitchen and started gathering the food. Michelle had made sure he had plenty of cold cuts so he wouldn’t have to cook. He laid out all the sandwich makings as well as started a couple cans of soup before heading back to garage.
He went over to the filing cabinet where he stored some of his private files, in them were also some of his fathers. The tattoo on Liz’s neck had sparked a memory of a story his father had told him. About an army conspiracy to hide the facts that they had teamed up with a genetic research company and were trying to produce superior people. He remembered reading an interview from someone whom had worked in the company and said that they used barcodes to keep track of their experiments. At the time that the person had worked there they had failed in all of their experiments. If Liz’s barcode was any indication, they had succeeded. He headed back into the house to find Liz looking around the living room. When he walked in she snapped to attention. “Liz, relax. Why don’t you come with me into the kitchen and fix up some sandwiches?”
Liz nodded. Her short hair was still wet and she was swimming in the clothes but she looked better than when he had found them. He laid the file on the cabinet and stirred the soup. “So do you feel better?”
“Yes, it’s been a few days since we were able to clean up. Thank you for everything. I’m sorry for the incident at the warehouse.”
“It’s okay. You were just protecting yourselves.” He said as he watched Liz pile on the meat, making two sandwiches. Ky walked out a minute later and started helping her. Valenti watched the two of them in awe. They moved in perfect sequence with each other. He dished out two large bowls of soup and watched as the two kids wolfed down their food. When they were done they looked to him. “There’s plenty more, eat as much as you want.” Both kids helped themselves to both dishes as the Sheriff continued to watch.
“I don’t want to scare either one of you but I want to be honest with you. I saw the barcodes on the back of your necks at the warehouse. Now I don’t know the whole story but enough that I know you kids are different. If you’ll honest with me, I’ll help you in any way I can.”
Both kids froze in mid-bite. Liz saw Ky body tense for an attack but she reached out to touch his arm. “If he wanted to turn us in, he would have done it along time ago.” She looked up at the Sheriff and asked, “What do you want to know?”
“Everything.”
So they told him. They told them everything they knew about how the scientists had created them, their other brothers and sisters, Lydecker, and about the escape. “We walked about ten miles after we made it over the fence before we came to a town. There was a set of buildings and we found a Laundromat where we stole some clothes. We’ve been going from town to town ever since making our way south. We avoid everyone and steal what we need.”
“Well you guys should probably get to bed.” Valenti took it all in and came up with an idea but wanted to think over a few things first. “I’m sure you two don’t want to be separated so I’ll show you to your room.”
“I don’t need to sleep. I’ll stand guard so you and Ky can sleep.” She said. Despite what they had just told him he was in shock when Liz picked up his gun, took it apart to check it over and then put it back together, all effortlessly. He now understood what they had told him about being the perfect soldiers. He also understood what they were talking about when they said they were lethal even at a young age.
“How about this? I plan on staying up for awhile yet, when I get tired I’ll come and wake you.” She nodded. He took both kids into the guestroom after they were comfortable, left to work out his plan.
Part 2: Settling.
Liz came instantly awake the next morning. She sat up trying not to disturb Ky and took in her surroundings. They were still in the room the Sheriff had given them. It was a nice room. The walls were a soft green color and the bed they were on had a quilt thrown over it. It wasn’t uniform and sterile like she had had before not like her cell back in Manticore. And it was far better than the abandoned buildings but she would gladly sleep in them if it meant not going back. She saw that it was light out and looked over at the clock. To her surprise it 0800 hrs. She had slept nine hours. It was then that she realized how exhausted she had let herself get. Ever since they had been on the run she had only allowed herself to sleep a few hours a night if that much. She would normally keep watch while Ky slept then they would move out to the next place.
But being in this room was showing her that this was want she wanted, a home. They had been running for a few months and it was hard. They had escaped to get control of their own lives, knowing they could live their own lives better than Manticore could do it for them. She ran her hand through her short hair. She was glad she had the chance to let it grow out. It had grown out fast, coming to below her ears. It would be shoulder length soon. She checked on Ky who was still sound asleep and headed to the main room of the house. That’s where she found the Sheriff, sound asleep facing the door making sure he was the first one someone would see if they came through the door.
She walked to the front window and looked out. The street was quiet, no one in sight. It gave her the chance to look over the neighborhood. It was nice, she could see evidence of families and it made her want a home even more. She walked over to where the Sheriff was sleeping and tried to figure out why he had helped them. Even after he found out everything he didn’t shy away from them. He woke up when he felt Liz’s hand on his shoulder. “I’ll take over, you should go to your own bed and get some sleep.”
He rubbed his eyes, “No, I’m up. Just need to get some coffee in to me.” He got up and headed for the kitchen, “Sleep well?”
“Yes, very well thank you.” Liz was able to see a nasty bruise on his arm. “Sorry about the arm.”
“It’s okay, I’ve had worse. Just don’t tell anyone that it was you that caused it.” He said smiling. “You know for being raised as a soldier, you speak fairly informally.”
“We all had to take Communication and Verbal Usage so that when we went out on covert missions we could blend in.”
“I guess that would help so you wouldn’t blow your cover. I just can’t imagine all of the stuff they taught you. I mean you’re only eight years old.”
“Since we have faster brain functions, they started our training very early and we learn very fast. Weapons, maneuvers, medical training, explosives, mechanics, anything we might need. And they made sure we did everything perfectly.” Liz said as her fingers came up and brushed over a scar over her left eye. The sheriff noticed the gesture and looked at the scar. It didn’t look very recent; but probably less than two years considering it was still faintly pink. By what Liz had said, he guessed that it was a reminder of something that happened back at Manticore, probably some kind of punishment. Eventually he hoped to get them to open up and tell him some of the things he knew they had held back the night before.
Hearing a small noise from the bedroom she said, “Ky’s up and probably wondering where I’m at.” She saw his questioning look and realized she’d forgotten he couldn’t hear as well as them. “Enhanced hearing.”
She got up and headed for the bedroom but heard him say. “Right. Forgot about that.” She walked into the room just as Ky came charging out. He looked at her with relief before scowling, “I didn’t know where you were then I heard your voice.”
“I was talking to the Sheriff.” Liz said just as the Sheriff called out to them. “I’ll make breakfast if you two are hungry.” Ky followed Liz back into the kitchen and sat down. The Sheriff went about making eggs and sausage; “Both sets of clothes you guys had are clean. There in the basket by the door.”
Both kids went and changed into their own clothes and came back. “We appreciate all you have done for us, feeding us and letting us clean up here.” Liz stated.
“Most people look at us strange. Now that we won’t look so ragged, hopefully no one will try and send us to the authorities.” Ky stated.
“Well I have an idea about how to keep you two safe. Will you hear me out?”
They both looked at each other then nodded so the Sheriff started. “My idea is for you to settle here in Roswell. Before you argue let me get it all out. Now I know I wouldn’t be able to take you both in, it would be suspicious. But I know a married couple who will be moving back to the area soon and they can take one of you. I grew up with them, and trust them. I’ll use whatever resources I have to watch over you. If you can trust me enough to stay here, I’ll protect you. You won’t go back to Manticore.”
Both the kids looked at each other in shock. “I need to talk to my sister alone.” The two kids got up and headed for the bedroom they had occupied the night before. After closing the door, Ky started, “I think we should do it.”
Liz looked at him shocked, she thought it would take a lot more convincing. “You do?”
“Yes, I do. We can’t keep running. If we do, we’re going to have to keep stealing and we might get caught one night.”
“We have to settle somewhere.” Liz finished. Ky nodded. “We’re meet these people and if they’re okay, then we’ll have to split up.”
“But we’ll still be close. We have to be, I can’t bear to loose the last member of my family I have.” Liz said. They both headed back out. “We’ll do it. We’ll stay.”
Part 3: The Parkers
The kids stayed with the Sheriff for two days before their first meeting with the Parkers. They had stayed hidden in the house while he was gone to work. He took them over to Hondo bought them some more clothes and other things. They both had warmed up to him more even Ky. They had worked through all the details that the kids would need to know. They were going to lengthen both of their names to Kyle and Elizabeth but they stilled called her Liz. They had come up with birthdays since they didn’t know their real birthdays only that they were born sixth months apart eight years ago. But they chose birthdays closer to each other, Kyle’s was in April and Liz’s was in June.
On the night of the meeting both kids hid on the floor of the SUV and the Sheriff took them over to where the Parkers were going to live. They decided it was better to go to there so the kids could see where one of them would choose to live. They went in through the alley door and into a back room. Once inside both kids looked at the nice-looking couple sitting in front of them.
“Liz, Kyle this is Jeff and Nancy Parker.” The Sheriff introduced.
Jeff and Nancy smiled, “It’s a pleasure to meet you kids.” Jeff said.
“You too sir.” Kyle said. Liz just kept staring at them, trying to get a feel for them.
“You can call us by our names, it’s okay. Why don’t we give you both a tour so you can see the place?” Nancy said. Both kids nodded. She led them through the swinging doors and into a restaurant. “We are going to open up an alien-theme café. We’ll sell burgers, shakes, and fries. We hope to open in a month. Come on, I’ll show you the apartment upstairs.” They took both the kids upstairs and showed them around. When they were done they went out into the living room; it was then that they noticed Liz’s hands starting to shake. Kyle ran over to where they had left their backpacks and pulled out a bottle of pills.
“Water?” He asked Nancy. Nancy got up and hurried to get a glass of water. When she came back she handed it to Kyle who in turn gave Liz the pill and helped her drink the water since her hands were shaking too bad to hold the glass. He watched and waited for the shaking to stop before he put the pills away.
“Liz you have to be more careful.” Kyle warned.
“I know. It came up so suddenly.” Liz explained. She and Kyle looked over and saw the three adults looking worried.
“Manticore tried to make us perfect but got a few things wrong. We’re immune to the affects of biochemical weapons and diseases as well as cancer thanks to our shark DNA. But we can still get colds and stuff like that. The seizures are because our bodies don’t produce enough of certain amino acids that we need. We keep them in check by taking Triphophen.” Kyle explained.
“Well we’ll have to make sure and stock up on it then.” Nancy said with a smile. “I have something for you kids too.”
She reached into a bag and pulled out a few tubes. “Now Jim told us all about you, including your barcodes. These tubes have makeup in them. We can mix these to match your skin colors and cover them.” Liz was the first to try it. Once Nancy was done she showed Liz with a mirror. It was then that she saw the first smile on Liz’s face. But it quickly turned to a questioning look, “Why are you doing this?”
The question startled Nancy, “What?”
“You know what we are and you know that people are after us. So why would you be willing to take us in?”
Nancy smiled at her. “Just because you were made to be something doesn’t mean that is who you have to be. If you wanted to be the soldier you were created to be then you wouldn’t have escaped.”
“You see Liz, Nancy and I wanted to have kids but we can’t. When Jim told us about you two we knew that whichever of you chose us, we knew that we were supposed to be one of your parents. As for the rest, we don’t think you’re anyone’s property. If you don’t want to go back, you have your reasons. We don’t think you should be forced to go somewhere you don’t want to. Like Jim, we’ll do anything we can to protect you.”
Both kids nodded before excusing themselves to talk. Kyle spoke first, “You like them don’t you?”
“They’re nice. Nancy reminds me of Hannah.” Hannah was a doctor back at Manticore that had been nice to them. “Which one do you want to live with?”
“I think I’ll stay with Jim. I haven’t met his wife yet, but I like him. And you like Nancy, so I think you should stay here. We’ll tell them what we talked about last night and see what they say.” The kids walked back into the living room just in time to hear the Sheriff saying. “Remember they may look young but the life they’ve led has aged them. They can be very quiet and withdrawn at times but I think the longer they’re around normal people they’ll be okay. They need the security of a home but we all need to prepare in case one day they need to leave.”
“We know there will be a transition period of adjusting but it’s worth it.” Jeff said. He noticed the kids standing in the doorway. “Did you guys talk things out?”
“Yeah, we did. Before we tell you our decision, Liz and I wanted to mention a few things. We know that you are doing us a favor by taking us in but there are a couple of conditions we want to tell you about.” Kyle said.
“Go ahead.”
“Number one, we know you guys are going to try and protect us but we need to be able to defend ourselves if Manticore comes after us. Which means we want to keep up with our training and will need weapons.” Kyle explained.
“We have been extensively trained in how to handling weapons, we know what we are doing. It would make us feel better.” Liz added.
The three adults looked at one another. They knew how the kids had been brought up but it was still strange knowing they were going to arm eight-year-olds. The Sheriff was the first one to speak, “Make a list of stuff you want and I’ll see about getting it. I know you told me what you can do but I’ll feel better if I take you out to the desert or Frasier Woods and you can show me, agreed?”
Both kids nodded. “Number two, we don’t want things hidden from us. If there is even the smallest hint that Lydecker is coming, tell us. We can’t have him surprise us. We might have to leave if he gets too close and we want you guys to be ready for this.”
“Agreed.”
“Number three and last. Liz is the only part of my family I have close. We are the youngest of our family and have always been close. We want to be able to see each other whenever we can.”
“Of course. We would never try to keep you two apart. We can see how close you two are.” Jeff said.
“Yes, we are close.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.” Liz replied.
“I noticed how the two of you seem to move in sync. You seem to know exactly how the other one moves. Why is that?”
“At Manticore they paired up the fourteen in our unit. Zack, our brother, is the oldest and was our Commanding Officer was paired up with Tinga who was the oldest of the girls. Ky and I were the youngest so we got paired together. We had to learn to anticipate the others move so we work together better. Zack told us all to split up but Ky and I couldn’t bear to. We knew the outside would be hard.”
“We know how hard things are going to be for you two. Luckily it’s the beginning of summer and you will have all summer to adjust before school starts.” Nancy said.
“School?” Kyle asked.
“You two will have to go to school.” Nancy stated noting Kyle’s obvious distaste at the idea.
Liz put her hand on Kyle’s arm, “That’s fine. We have photographic memories, so it will be easy.”
“You kids will have to be careful with your grades, we don’t want someone getting suspicious if you both get nothing but straight A’s.”
“Now that everything has been settled, we’ll tell you our decision. If it’s okay with the Parkers, Liz will live with them while I’ll stay at the Sheriff’s.” Kyle said.
The Parkers smiled. The Sheriff looked over at Kyle and smiled as well. He had always wanted a son, “Now I know you guys will be hiding from everyone but I need you to lie to one more person. My wife. Just for a little while. I want to make sure you guys are safe and things have settled down with Manticore before I tell her. I don’t want to scare her, she gets worried enough over me being the Sheriff.”
They all agreed and talked more about their plans of bringing the kids into their lives. That night Liz stayed in her new room with Kyle right next to her. It would take a little while before they would be separated for a whole night.
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LittleBit