*******
Arrogant No More
A very smart man once said, "It would be very arrogant of me to think that we were the only intelligent life out there."
Well, up until a few months ago, I guess I was arrogant.
*******
He spotted her from across the street, but knew instantly she needed help. It wasn't that she kept glancing over her shoulder at the two men in dark suits following her, and it wasn't the fact that she seemed to be trying to mesh with the crowd. It was the air she had around her. He looked at her and knew.
A glance at the light told him all he needed to know. Risking a car to his body, he dashed across the street, around the traffic, and somehow managed to come out on the other side alive and in one piece. He snorted. Very few people in New York could claim such a thing.
"Hey!" she yelped as he grabbed her arm and jerked her into an alley.
"Enough," he said softly, peering around the corner of the building to get a look at her pursuers. Looking back at her again, he only had a few seconds to take note of the red hair and blue eyes. "Are you in trouble?" he asked. A hesitant nod. "Government?" She hesitated again, but offered another nod. "You wanna get out of here?"
A faint smile touched her mouth. "You have no idea."
"Alright then." He offered a slight grin of his own. "Follow me don't slow down and don't look back."
With that he grabbed her arm again and headed back for the traffic. The light changed just as they started across, angry drivers honking their horns at the two who dared cross into traffic and hold it up. Some cars didn't bother to keep still, instead moving forward. One nearly ran over her foot. As they reached the sidewalk, she looked back in time to see her pursuers swear softly. They weren't brave enough to cross at the beginning of what looked to be a very nasty rush hour.
Neither spoke for several blocks, intent on keeping ahead of the men. Finally he saw what he was looking for. Quickly he moved to the door of a near by apartment building. Following just behind someone who must have had lived there judging by the fact they had a key to the door, he caught the wood and glass just before it closed. Ushering her inside, he made sure it closed behind them, then headed down the hall. Finding the door to the basement, he tried it, found it unlocked, and slipped inside.
"What's your name?" he asked her as they stopped on the stairs. Her uncertainty was apparent in her pause. "I'm Darien," he told her quietly.
"Liz," she finally offered.
Neither spoke, and then, "Thanks. They almost caught me this time."
"This time? How long have they been after you?" His eyes adjusted to the dim light and he was aware of how nervous she seemed. She fidgeted, shifting her weight from foot to foot. Even in the enclosed space, she glanced around her as if expecting someone to jump out of the walls.
"About a year," she sighed softly and closed her eyes, leaning back against the wall.
"Why?" It was a reasonable question, but he saw her shiver. He knew he wouldn't get the full answer from her.
"I have something they want." She shrugged a shoulder and rubbed her eyes. "Information."
Darien laughed softly. Information only came out of people one way. Hard. "I know the feeling," he muttered. "Come on, you need to rest. I know a place where you'll be safe. For a while anyway."
Liz looked at him warily for a moment, then conceded. "Alright."
"Wow," she said, impressed, "Nice place you've got here." Slowly she unwound the coat that was wrapped tightly around her and dropped it onto a chair.
"Not mine exactly," he told her as he made his way through the condo. Finding it empty, he reentered the room and offered a smile. "Let's just call it borrowing."
Quirking a brow at him, a faint smile touched her lips, "Borrowing?"
"Owners are out of town. I happened to see them leaving yesterday with their bags."
"So, you don't actually know these people?"
"Not exactly."
She shook her head. "I get the feeling I don't want to know."
"Probably not," he agreed. A few moments of silence passed. "Ex thief. I notice these things."
Pointing to the key he still held in his hand she asked, "They key?"
"Doormat. People are kind of predictable. And I had a feeling I might need it." Darien shrugged and dropped the key to a tabletop.
"Freaky," she breathed and sank into the nearest chair. "You think they've got anything to eat?"
"With a kitchen like that? We can probably find caviar or escargot if you're so inclined."
She laughed softly, but the laugh was hollow to Darien's ears. Somehow he knew she hadn't laughed a real laugh in a long, long time. "I'd settle for anything right now. Even fish eggs or snails."
Offering his hand to her, he waited until she took it and helped her up. "Come on then, let's see what we have."
***
"Ex thief that can cook," she said as she stuffed another bite of well spiced chicken into her mouth, "Interesting."
"Yeah well, it's not like you cook for a lot of people," he grinned, "But a man's gotta eat."
"True," she replied, swallowing the last bit of milk from her glass. "Do I dare hope for desert?"
He laughed and grabbed a bag from the counter. "Do Oreo's count?"
"Oh yeah," she replied enthusiastically. "Chocolate always counts."
***
She dunked the final cookie in the last bit of milk and stuffed it into her mouth. "Wow," she managed around the food, "Been a while since I had an actual meal."
"I kinda got that feeling," he replied.
"So, what does an ex thief that can cook do now that he's an ex thief? Become a chef?"
"Not exactly." He considered his words carefully, but finally decided that the truth, or at least the majority of it, was the best choice. "I work for the government."
She tensed, but didn't move. He felt an energy build around her and watched as she prepared to bolt.
"Not like you think," he tried.
"I'm not going." Her voice was barely a whisper, but was so intense it took him back. "I know what you did to the others, and I won't let you do that to me."
"I'm not doing anything but helping you get away, remember?"
Liz eyed him a second, then reached out quickly, her hand making contact with his bare arm. A jolt ran though him and he felt his muscles twitch. Pictures formed in his mind, pictures from a few days earlier, of the office, of The Keeper, the syringe of counteragent, finding they key, then seeing her on the street. Something told him she saw these things too. That she had caused them.
"Get your answers?" he asked quietly as she pulled away from him. His mind tried to reel in the memories she had managed to pull from him.
"Yeah." A pause. "I have to be careful."
"I can understand that," he offered. While Darien might not like having his mind invaded, he understood about being careful.
She leaned back, but didn't relax completely. "What's the blue stuff?" she asked, not looking at him.
"Counteragent."
"For?"
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
Again her laugh was frail, but the amusement was clear. "You'd be surprised."
"Maybe."
"Why do you work for them?"
"Because I can't make the 'blue stuff' myself."
She nodded and was quiet. Then, "She's pretty."
Wrinkling his nose he frowned. "The Keeper? I guess. In a 'poke and prod' you kind of bitchy way."
Another faint laugh. "A job of necessity then?"
"You could call it that." Darien looked at her. "And revenge if I get the chance."
That was something she understood. "Revenge is good."
He watched her. She was quiet, almost relaxed, but he had no doubt she'd kill him if she thought he was a threat to her. Could she reach into his mind and rip it to shreds, leaving him a nice vegetable, or would they end up putting him in a spot next to Kevin?
"You know about revenge?"
"Enough." Her smile was sad. Sad enough that even he felt her loss.
Darien held out a hand to her. She took it slowly, then leaned against him. Wrapping his arms around her, he didn't say anything as the sobs came, merely held her close. The grief poured over him in waves and he knew, whatever they had done to her, it had been awful. Worse than everything they had done to him. Slowly the sobs subsided and she pulled away from him.
Wiping the tracks from her cheeks with the back of a hand Liz seemed to shove aside her grief. "Sleep," she said softly, then turned towards a bedroom.
*******
She didn't move again until almost noon. He had checked up on her through out the night, coming when he heard her nightmares. Judging by the way she thrashed and called the name "Alex", he knew they had to be bad. Once she had cried out several names, but he couldn't make all of them out. There was a Max and a Maria in there somewhere. A few times he had even come close to waking her up, but chose instead to sit beside her and hold her hand. It seemed to help.
Her clothes were rumpled as she made her way into the kitchen, having slept in them the night before, but the dark circles that had been under her eyes were lighter.
"Eggs? Over easy or scrambled?" he asked as he drug the carton out of the refrigerator.
"Hm?" she managed as she hauled herself up onto a barstool. "Oh. Uh, scrambled."
Darien nodded and set about scrambling the eggs. "Cheese?" he asked as he looked over his shoulder at her. She appeared to be somewhat more awake.
"Sure,"
"Ok then, but you have to get it."
Sliding off the stool, Liz went to the fridge and drug out two slices of cheese. Setting them on the counter next to Darien, she went back for orange juice.
"They can't be planning to be gone long with all this food in here that can spoil."
"A month," he told her. "They made plans for someone to come in a week and clean out anything that might spoil." A shrug and a grin. "Rich people eh?"
A slight smile pulled at the corners of her mouth as she perched herself back up onto the barstool.
"Which department do you work for?" she asked as she put a few slices of bread into the toaster that sat on the island.
"Technically? The Department of Fish and Game," he told her with mock seriousness. "Unofficially, we should probably be under the DOD. Terrorists, bombs, international crisis. That kind of thing." He realized he hadn't been able to tell anyone this since it had all happened. Casey had all but disappeared and he thought they probably had something to do with that. Moved her to another town. Gave her a new identity or something. Anything to keep him in their grasp. Like the counteragent wasn't enough to do that.
"I see," she said, turning her thoughts over in her mind.
He put the plate of eggs in front of her as the toast popped up. Grabbing a slice, he set it on her plate and looked her in the eye. "What?"
Liz poked her fork at the eggs for a moment, then finally met his gaze.
"I need in there. I need one of their computers." Desperation tinged her words.
"Why?"
A faint smile. "So I can erase myself. So I can erase the others."
"Others?"
"The ones they killed. It's enough that they killed them I won't let them dig up the bodies to cut apart." The last words were bitter, filled with anger.
"Alex?"
The name startled her. "How do you know that name?" she hissed softly, her fork clattering to the top of the bar.
"You said it in your sleep," he informed her after a moment. "And Max. And Maria. Maybe a few others, but I couldn't make them out."
"All dead," she whispered. "They killed them all. I'm the last one left."
"Last one of what?" He knew he wouldn't get the answer he wanted, but he couldn't stop himself from asking. The longer he was around her, the more he wanted to know. There were no illusions about a grand love affair or any such thing. The way she called the name last night, he knew there was no room in her heart for anyone else. But it also made him want to help her that much more. Someone had taken everything from her, and could possibly take the last thing she had, her own life.
"Of us," she responded, willing to offer no more to him.
Darien looked at her, looked into her. Her pain was always present, an open wound rubbed raw with salt. Finally he nodded.
"All right. But you're going to have to trust me."
Liz looked at him. "I slept didn't I?"
*******
"And this gland, it makes you invisible?" she asked skeptically.
"Well, yeah." He wasn't quite sure how to explain it all, and hell, listening to it made it seem nuts to him too. Or at least it would if he hadn't been living it the past few months. Taking a deep breath, he tried to make it sound reasonable. "It was the gland, or life in prison. So Kevin, my brother, wanted me to be the experiment. I agreed, for some crazy reason. It coats me in something he called Quicksilver. Bends light around me so I appear invisible."
"Called?" She had picked up on the one thing he hoped he wouldn't have to explain.
"He was killed. Terrorists. One of them pretending to be a doctor. He wanted to sell Quicksilver to the highest bidder."
She nodded, but said nothing.
"My revenge." Darien took a deep breath and continued. "But he made it defective. He wanted whomever used it to still be dependent on him."
"The counteragent," she said.
"The counteragent," he affirmed. "He thought he could sell it too. Nice con actually. Might have worked if he didn't piss me off." He smirked slightly. "It's all been destroyed. All the files. Now it's just me. And they can't take it out."
"I see," was all she offered.
"You're not buying this are you?"
Liz laughed. "As much as I should be able to accept it, as much as I know it should be easy to accept, I can't." A shrug.
"Ok then, but don't say I didn't warn you."
It ran in rivulets across his skin. Lines of liquid silver. Quicksilver. In less than a second he was covered, a blurry silver outline of him. The next he was just gone.
"Are you still here?" A note of panic crept into her voice.
"I'm here." His disembodied voice came from directly in front of her.
Gingerly she held out her hand. "Touch me"
The touch came, freezing against her skin. She rose slowly, a finger trailing from the point of contact, up his arm to his shoulder. With careful precision, she mapped him with a finger.
"Why?" she asked as she touched him, feeling the proof of his words under her finger tips.
"They're not sure. The Quicksilver drops the external temperature to around freezing somewhere. It's just an odd side effect. Something about the bending of the light and heat exchange or some such. I don't think he planned on it. Then again, he didn't know about the need for a counteragent either."
"Does it feel cold to you?"
"No."
"How can you see?"
"Not normally." He shivered as her fingers slid across his chest. "It's kind of strange I guess. Everything is grey no color. I don't see in the normal light spectrum."
Her fingers stilled then fell away. "How does it come off?"
As if freezing itself, the Quicksilver seemed to solidify, then cracked. Shattering, it dissolved into nothing before it had the chance to hit the ground.
Slowly she sat back in her chair.
"That's impressive."
"Thanks."
"Can you make other things invisible?"
Darien nodded and touched a small figurine on the table next to the couch. A silver outline and then it was gone.
"How do you get it off?"
"It's kinda like it wears off on its own I guess. I don't really know. Things stay invisible longer when I keep touching them. The gland keeps secreting or something. Being able to make other things invisible was kind of a side effect too."
Again the silver cracked and shattered, dissolving before it can leave any trace of itself on the table.
Her face was expressionless, but Darien could feel her mind turning over what she had just learned. Even though he had only known her less than 24 hours, he knew she would consider it all carefully before acting. She would process all the information she had, then make a plan of action. It was the only way she could stay alive.
Finally, "Is that how you'll get me in?"
"If I can't think of anything else better," he admitted.
"Better?"
"It's close to time to need another dose. I don't want to risk the Madness while we're in there." It was as close as he'd come to admitting he wanted to protect her.
"You're asking a lot of trust from me," she told him. He nodded once. "And I will give it." She looked him in the eye. "But I want you to trust me as well." Darien frowned slightly. "I want some samples of your blood.
"My blood?" The request had caught him by surprise. What could she possibly want with his blood?
"Yes. Now, before you get the Counteragent." Liz looked at him. "Can you do it?"
Slowly he nodded at her. "I suppose. I should probably go in today anyway. Give them something to keep them happy about this case. The Keeper should have some more then. I don't suppose I can ask her to take it for me?" Liz managed a smile but shook her head. "Didn't think so." The thought of taking his own blood made him cringe. "How much do you need?"
"Not much. Say, three of the typical hospital test tubes. That will be enough."
Darien was tempted to ask, to question what she was doing. But the back of his mind told him to stop, begged him to let her have this secret. It wasn't like she could harm him by having samples of his blood. Besides, maybe it would end up saving her somehow.
"All right." Rising, he grabbed his coat and swung it on. "Give me a few hours. I'll be back soon."
She nodded and smiled faintly. "I'll be here."
*******
Another meal, this time of some kind of white fish, had made her sleepy she claimed. Again she went to the same bedroom and closed the door. But it was a few hours before the sounds of her moving about had quieted. He gave it another half hour before he checked in on her.
She was curled up tightly under the covers. The pillow had been abandoned to the floor and her head tilted at an odd angle without it. Twitching slightly, a soft whimper escaped her and she clutched the sheets. He moved forward quietly, kneeling down next to the bed.
As gently as he could, he placed the pillow back on the bed and moved her onto it. A soft cry of surprise came from her lips, and he looked down to see if he had woke her. Eyes moved rapidly under lids and he breathed a faint sigh of relief. No matter his motives, he didn't think she would appreciate waking up to find him standing over her. Her dreams were a form of private hell, and no matter how good the intention, Darien didn't think she wanted to share it with him. Another whimper and he sat on the floor next to the bed. Taking her hand carefully in his own, he rested his head against the mattress and waited for the horrors of her sleep to pass.
*******
Now that she was standing there, she seemed nervous. He offered her a slight smile and held out a hand. She took it gratefully and returned the squeeze he gave her.
"Ok," she nearly whispered. "I'm ready."
"You sure?" Her face was pale and he felt a tremor run through her hand.
"I have to." A thread of resolve wound its way through her voice.
Darien nodded once, then started forward. She followed, tightly on his heels, but slightly behind him, keeping herself out of plain sight. They stepped through the front doors without incident. He turned to look at her once, then lead her down the hall.
"I don't really know where is the best place for something like this," he told her honestly, "But I figure the big guy's office is a good place to start."
Liz smiled slightly. "If anyone will be connected it will be him. Where is it?"
With a flourish, Darien whipped open a wooden door and ushered her inside. "Right here"
Letting the door close softly behind them, he pointed to the desk.
"No computer," she said softly.
Grinning, he flopped down into the leather chair. Reaching down, he tugged at a bottom desk drawer only to find it locked. "Figures," he muttered softly. Pulling a small pouch from his pocket, he opened it then pulled two thin metal tools from it. Looking up at her and taking note of the amusement on her face, he shrugged. "Never know" Going back to his task, he leaned over and went to work on the lock. In only a few minutes, he felt the tumblers give. After dropping the tools back into his pocket, he pulled open the drawer.
"Voila," he said. Reaching inside, he pulled out a small laptop.
"Beautiful," she murmured as she took it from him. Placing it on the desk, she flipped it on and waited for it to boot. Connecting cables as she waited, she was ready as soon as the desktop screen appeared.
Darien eased away from the chair, letting her have it. Watching from over he shoulder, he blinked in surprise. She flipped through several screens in just a few seconds after popping in a floppy disk. The low sounds of the modem connecting filtered into the air. A password box popped up and she shook her head. Pressing a few keys in rapid sequence, she popped out the disk and replaced it with another. In less than 30 seconds, the password prompt was gone and a new screen popped up.
Department of Defense.
Both of them were so intent on the computer screen and what Liz was making come up on it, that neither of them heard the footsteps approaching. The door swung open forcing both of them to look up.
"Fawkes? What are you doing here?" The man looked between Darien and Liz, frowning. "Hey!" Eberts cried, "What is she doing in here?"
Liz looked back to her screen, her fingers moving rapidly over the keys. "Why don't you come look for yourself," she told him mildly.
He moved to the desk, stepping around the corner to look. Her hands were on him before he knew what hit him. Slowly Eberts crumpled to the floor.
"What did you do to him?" Darien demanded worriedly. True, he didn't exactly volunteer for this job, but he wasn't much into killing people either.
"Put him to sleep. He'll be fine. He'll wake up in a few hours and not remember anything about us being here." Her hands never stopped. "He will think he blacked out for some reason. They'll make him take a physical. Won't find anything. It'll just be one of life's little mysteries."
File Deleted, flashed on the screen several times then the DOD screen appeared once again. "Almost done," she told him softly as she popped in a third disk.
"What are you doing now?" Darien asked as he glanced down at Eberts' body. It made him edgy to see it there like that.
"Erasing the path. If they realize where I accessed their system from, assuming they figure out I accessed it, then they'll be here in a heartbeat."
With a few more keystrokes, she was done. Pulling the disk from the drive, she shoved all three back into her pockets. "Come on, we need to get out of here."
They had nearly reached the door when they both heard the footsteps. Pausing, they waited, hoping the person would merely pass on by. It never happens that way.
"Ah crap," Darien muttered as the doorknob began to turn. Grabbing Liz, he pulled her close. Willing the Quicksilver out of his body he felt it as it began to run down his skin. It was a sensation he was used to now, but he wondered how it felt to her. "I was starting to think I wouldn't have to do this," he whispered just before the door opened.
She pushed her way in, all business, holding a stack of files under her arm. The Keeper turned to push the door closed only to catch sight of Eberts lying on the floor. Dropping the files, she rushed to him and knelt beside him. Pressing her fingers to his neck, she searched for a pulse.
Liz felt him move and tried to move with him. Objects didn't stay invisible long unless he was touching them she reminded herself. Sliding a hand down his arm, she took his hand in hers and clung to it. She felt his squeeze and returned it, relief trickling into her body. It wasn't over yet, but maybe it was close.
He could feel how tense she was against him and suddenly realized how much it had bothered her to do whatever it was she did to Eberts. He waited until he knew the man would be taken care of before trying to get them out. She didn't move with him well and he feared the Quicksilver would dissolve away from her body. His mind was racing as he tried to figure out something when he felt her hand in his. She could keep a hold of him this way. It was enough to keep them invisible until they could get out. Or so he hoped.
With a silent prayer, he led her out the still open door just in time to see more people rushing towards the office.
*******
They were completely silent in the car. He glanced at her a few times, taking note of the way her hands shook as she held them tightly in her lap. He wanted to ask, wanted to know what was happening exactly, but maybe Hobbes was right. This was a need to know basis and he didn't need to know.
"I need to pick up my things," she said finally, still not looking at him.
"Not sticking around?" he asked. Darien didn't really want to hear the answer he knew she'd give, but it wasn't like there was something else to say. Not like he could beg her to stick around.
"I can't," she told him simply. "The government aren't the only people looking for me."
"I see." Again, nothing more he could say.
She was silent again, and then, "Have you heard of Roswell, New Mexico?"
"Sure. Aliens landed. Big crash. Upstairs they claim it was a weather balloon."
The corners of Liz's mouth turned up in a faint smile.
"Weather balloon yeah." Her knuckles had gone white. "Aliens landed Darien. Honest to goodness aliens. Though I guess landed is kind of a bad word. They crashed." Finally she looked at him. Blue eyes locked onto his and he felt like he was suddenly underwater. Horns honked at him, forcing him back to reality. Jerking the car to the curb, cutting off a taxi behind them, he put the car into park and looked at her. Tears were welling in her eyes. With a shaky breath she continued.
"The government came in to clean it up. I guess they did really. I'm not sure of the details of it all. All the adults were dead I guess, or maybe killed later."
Darien blinked. "Adults?"
Liz tried to smile, but couldn't quite manage it. "There were pods. Children. Fetuses that were meant to be left on Earth. Hybrids actually."
"You mean X Files stuff? Actual alien human hybrids."
That made her laugh. The sound was high pitched and fragile. "X Files all the way. Mulder had it right." She pulled her feet up under her and shifted so she didn't have to turn her head to look at him. "The children were sent here to grow up. Their own planet had been enslaved by another race. Supposedly they were supposed to grow up then go back and rescue everyone." The last words were laced with scorn. "But I guess these aliens didn't plan on everything going to hell."
Her head rested against the headrest and her eyes looked away, staring into nothing.
"We fought here, on Earth, with the other race. Maybe we even won, I'm not sure. The government moved in. They captured my brother one of them anyway. Tortured him to get information. Information he didn't even have." The grief rolled off her in waves. "We managed to get him out, but he died in my arms a few weeks later. After effects of what they'd done to him."
Tears rolled down her cheeks and Darien reached for her hand.
"You don't have to tell me," he offered.
"Someone has to know," she whispered. "Someone has to know where they are."
He nodded and said no more. Just sat and held her hand while she finished her story.
"All the others were left. There were four of us. Four hybrids. And humans. We had human friends who knew." A faint smile. A real smile. One that Darien knew came from deep inside. "Some of them more than friends." The smile faded and she sighed. "They took them out one by one. Some of them were made to look like accidents. Some they managed to just make disappear. At least until we found the bodies. They didn't care what it took, they just wanted information.
"They caught us by surprise that last night. There were only three of us left. We tried to fight back without hurting them, but then they killed Maria. She was human. Just human. No threat to them at all. But they gunned her down like she was the FBI's most wanted. When it was over, I was the only one left. Everyone else was dead." Her eyes closed and she shuddered. "We had buried all the bodies in the same place. Some place we knew they'd never find them. So I took the last of them there and buried them. Said good bye and never went back."
Darien felt the words run over him. He knew what it was like to bury the ones you loved. To have them die in your arms. He squeezed her hand. There was nothing he could say that would ever make the pain go away.
"They followed me when I left. I've managed to lose them a few times, but somehow they always seem to find me again. I don't know if they even really want me anymore. I think they're more interested in having the others. They'd rather have something they can cut up and study." The words were bitter, harsh. "Maybe the lives ones just aren't as much fun."
Her eyes opened, but they still stared into space. "But now they have no proof. No evidence that my brother, or any of the others, still existed. No proof of me" She trailed off.
"So maybe now you can live in peace?"
"Something like that. If there's ever any peace that is." Finally she focused on him. "I need someone to know Darien. Someone who can make sure their bodies stay forever gone."
He didn't know what she meant exactly, only knew that she would tell him where they were. That before she walked out of his life forever, he would know where her loved ones rested, just as he knew where Kevin rested. Still holding her hand, he felt the tingle, felt the connection as she made it. Pictures flashed in his mind, images of people. A tall, blond girl with an easy laugh. A dark haired girl sitting in front of a microscope. A dark haired boy with matching brown eyes. Another boy, spiky haired and brooding. Another girl, this one with blond curls. More people in her mind flooded his own, rapidly gaining speed. They became a blur until the final image came, causing the flood to come to a screeching stop. A tall boy, dark hair and green eyes. Easy to laugh and create laughter. The one she still loved.
Emotions flooded in with the images making it hard to breathe. Slowly the image of the one she called for at night faded, giving way to the desert. A large rock jutted from the sand to tower overhead. A silver handprint glowed against the rock and he felt his own hand press against it. Rocks slid away to reveal a chamber inside.
The images rushed past him again, this time the knowledge of everything she held filled him as well. He felt himself kneel down, five glowing stone surrounding him. Stones that marked graves. Gradually the images and feelings faded. Liz pulled her hand from his and gazed at him.
"Now you know," she whispered.
*******
The apartment was cold when they pushed open the door. He felt her stiffen beside him before his mind had time to register anything else. A flash of light hit him and he was momentarily blinded.
"Dammit," he heard her mutter under her breath.
Darien didn't have a chance to say anything before he felt himself shoved to the floor. Another light flashed, except this time he was behind it.
Liz held her hand out, palm forward. Light glowed from the center with a white brilliance. Another flash from the front, but this time it seemed to be stopped. Green light flared in front of her, seeming coming from her body. A force field of some kind. The green seemed to ripple like it was made of water.
A gunshot rang out as he stood to his feet. Startled, he reached for Liz, wanting to get her out of the way. Time slowed and suddenly he could see the bullet coming towards them. Towards Liz. His hand reached for her arm as the silver metal met with green light. The light shimmered once more and the metal seemed to liquefy.
"Liz?" It was barely a whisper.
"It's ok, I can hold them. I think." She never looked back at him. Instead she took a step forward. The green seemed to fade, but her palm still glowed.
Darien didn't need to see her face. The words she spoke and they way she spoke them told him all he needed to know. These people had killed some of her own.
"You killed my brother."
"He wasn't your brother," a tall man protested.
Realizing he could actually see the intruders now, Darien took them in. One was tall, lanky, with blonde hair and cold grey eyes. The other was smaller, more solidly built. He had light brown hair. Darien felt as if Liz knew who this one was. Knew him better than the other one.
"Oh no," the smaller man said, "He was your betrothed." A smirk.
"He was my brother in all the ways that counted," she hissed. The light glowed brighter. "Besides," she glanced at the last one to speak, "Nicholas, you tried to kill my real betrothed as well remember? You tried to kill Alex." A small smile colored her tone. "But if I recall correctly, you were the one that bled that night."
"Lucky shot," the one she called Nicholas snarled as he started for her. "Enough of this. It's time for you to die."
"Not in this lifetime."
Darien felt the familiar tickle of Quicksilver on his skin as the light flashed again. He heard Nicholas cry out as Liz touched him but didn't stop to look long. Instead he rushed towards the taller man.
Nicholas felt her hand on his arm only a millisecond before he felt her in his mind. The connection was easy for her, but it ripped through him like razor blades. He felt it when she attacked his mind. When she began to pull his memories and knowledge forward like they were threads on a spool. Felt it as she cut them randomly, cutting apart everything he knew. He jerked away and raised his hand, light of his own beginning to glow.
The unnamed man started forward, ready to help his friend as the other man had screamed. Stumbling, he fell forward, whacking his head on a table on the way down. Leaving the man no time to recover, Darien jerked him up by the collar, landing a fist into the man's stomach. Letting go as he grunted, Darien stepped back.
Swinging wildly at the unseen assailant, Eric heard Nicholas scream again. It must be some new trick, he thought as he failed to make contact with whatever had taken him down. No sooner had he thought the words than he felt something solid connect with his nose, snapping his neck back. His eyes opened wide as the lamp rose into the air. So stunned by the sight, he didn't move as it collided with the side of his head. Eric crumbled to the floor as silver became visible and shattered.
Nicholas screamed once more as he took his stance in front of her. Instead of pain however, this was a victory cry. The light grew until it was blinding, then reached for her.
Liz moved quickly, her hand up as soon as she realized what he intended to do. Instead of trying to stop the power that came from him, she reached out with her own. Tendrils of light swirled from her palm, reaching for the other alien. They twisted around him, growing tight as they wrapped themselves around his body. The light from his own hand flickered and then faded, her power stronger than his own.
The tendrils of light turned red and Nicholas began to shake violently. His mouth opened in a silent scream. Skin seemed to dry and flake away as the bands of light grew tighter. Darien stood there, his mind not believing what they were seeing.
Liz smiled coldly. "This is for all of them."
Red flared brightly. Nicholas seemed to dry out, to shrivel into a shell. With a faint whoosh there was nothing. Nothing but flakes. Flakes floating in the air around them.
Darien gaped at her.
The tears started then. Running down her cheeks in silent sobs. She didn't move, just watched the flakes of her enemy float around the room as the tears fell.
Then the sirens cut through the silence.
"Liz?" Darien said softly as he moved forward. Reaching out to touch her, his hand didn't hesitate as he came into contact with her arm. "Liz I think it's time for you to go. If they catch you here"
As if becoming aware of herself and the room once more, Liz looked up at him slowly. A smile was against her features, but the sadness in her eyes was nearly overwhelming.
"Yeah I have to go."
"Are you ok?" He knew the answer, but couldn't think of anything else to say.
"I'll be ok," she said finally. "But I won't if I stay here."
He nodded then pulled her close. Wrapping his arms around her, he hugged her tightly.
"You shouldn't be here either," she told him as she pulled away. Opening the door, the looked at him one last time. "But before you go, look in the bedroom. There's a formula there. A counteragent. It's not perfect, but it will last longer. There's also a file. Casey is in Texas. They sent her there after telling her she would only endanger you."
Liz stepped out the door, pulling it closed behind her.
"Liz," he called out, unwilling to let her go without at least saying thank you.
Looking over her shoulder, she offered a slight smile. "It's not Liz, Darien. It's Isabel." Her features began to shift then. Blue eyes turned brown. Hair washed out to a darker blonde and grew several inches. Looking at this new image, Darien knew this was her real face. A wave of her fingers. "Take care of them for me."
Then the door closed and she was gone.
*******
I guess you might be wondering what happened. That's easy enough. I took the counteragent and the file. Then I left.
Oh, you mean after I found out that there were aliens as well as invisible men?
I did what she asked. I made sure they were left in peace. I took care of them.
**
Author's Note: I specifically did not name the series crossed over for a reason. Please do not ruin this fic for those who might read the reviews first. I also kept a specific character unknown for the same reasons. Again, please be careful what you write in your reviews. Many people read them before deciding on whether or not to read a particular piece and what you say could easily ruin it for them. Please be considerate of other readers. -- Thank you, Labrynth