The Inevitable
Part 2
Just one more. The pain was so overwhelming. If they pump one more chemical into me, I'll die. I can't die like this. Isabel Evans lay in her new container, on her stomach, wishing she could move, wishing the stinging and itching in her back didn't get worse by the minute. I can't take this any more, she thought. Either let me go or kill me.
Max lay on his stomach, his eyes closed. Memories and images of Liz comforted him. I'll never see her again, he thought. A rush of pain shot through his body. With all his strength, he whispered, "Liz."
"No, Maria," said Amy DeLuca. Maria crossed her arms.
"Mom, please," Maria whined. "It's your daughter, Maria. You know, the one you trust so very much with your car."
"I said 'no,' Maria," Amy said, pouring tea into her favorite cup. "You have to work early tomorrow."
"And I'll be there. I have an alarm clock. I won't be late. I promise," said Maria.
"You need to get your own car," Amy added. "I don't know about this Maria."
"Liz and Alex are going too. There's no need to worry about anything," Maria assured her with a smile.
"Where exactly are you going?"
***
"Star-gazing," said Liz Parker to her father. "Since I missed a day I figured I could use the extra credit."
"What about you?" he turned to Alex Whitman, whom was watching two police cars drive by. Alex turned to Mr. Parker.
"I could use the extra credit, too," he replied.
Mrs. Parker walked into the Crashdown Café with a newspaper in her hands. "Hey, Mrs. P," said Alex.
"Hi, Alex," she said wearing a sad expression without looking away from the paper. She set the paper onto the counter. "Diane and Philip must be devastated."
"They still haven't found anything?" asked Mr. Parker. She shook her head. Liz and Alex didn't need to look at the newspaper to know what they were talking about. A picture of Max, Isabel and Michael was on the front page. Liz's parents had placed pictures of them all over the Crashdown under the word "Missing" in bold print. Liz, Alex and Maria had already been questioned about their whereabouts, but not by Sheriff James Valenti Jr. Liz wondered why he hadn't popped up at the Crashdown with a million and one questions.
"The police will find them," said Liz. "I know it."
Mrs. Parker hugged Liz. "I hope you're right, Liz," she said and let go. "When you get time today, I want you to take that cake I was working on over to the Evans'." Liz nodded as Maria entered the Crashdown.
"Ready, guys?" she asked.
"Why are you guys leaving so early?" Mr. Parker asked.
"We want to see the sun set," Liz quickly answered.
"Are you sure you're up for it, Lizzy?" he asked.
"I'm fine, dad," she said.
"Don't be out too late," said Mrs. Parker as they walked out in a line.
"You guys know the Mom's Car rules," said Maria, getting into the car. Liz got into the passenger's seat.
"So, where are we headed, Liz?" Alex asked from the back seat.
Liz closed her eyes for a moment, then replied, "South." Maria started the car.
Suddenly there was a knock on Liz's window. She looked to her right and yelped, "Kyle!" Kyle Valenti gave a smile as Liz rolled down the window. "Um, hi, Kyle."
"Liz," he said then nodded at Maria and Alex. "Where are you three off to?"
"Kyle," Maria sighed. "We're kind of in a hurry."
"You wouldn't mind if I came with-."
"Yes, we would," said Maria.
"I know where you're going," he said. "You're going to find Max, Isabel and Michael. You know where they are."
"Kyle, we-."
"I know that wherever they are, so is my dad. I want to know what's going on with him. That's all," said Kyle.
"We don't-." Liz started.
"I'm not like my dad. I'm not after anybody. I just don't want my dad to end up like my grandfather. I want to know what I'm losing him to. Please."
"Come on," said Maria. Kyle rushed into the back seat beside Alex. Liz looked at Maria with wide eyes. Maria leaned towards Liz.
"We'll make something up," she whispered.
"Like what?" Liz asked. Maria shrugged and began to drive. This is not good, Liz thought. Definitely not good.
***
"Everything is going according to schedule, sheriff," a scientist said with a proud smile.
"That's excellent," said Sheriff James Valenti. "Are they going to be…you know...?"
"Sheriff, after the first groups of test, only one will be necessary. We don't want to hold them for too long. It could endanger the staff. In Stage Two, two of the entities will go through a last group of test, then they must be terminated. If they're kept here too long hostility can build up and cause the destruction of our organization if they escaped. They could get back into Roswell, or worse. Who knows where they would go. This will no longer be under our control once it's an international problem. You don't want that, do you, Sheriff Valenti?"
"Of course not," he said. "Just checking."
***
"I can't take all this pressure," Liz complained, her eyes closed, rubbing her temples.
"Come on, Liz," said Maria. "Remember."
"And soon," Alex added from the back seat. "It's getting late."
"Where's the map?" Kyle asked.
"We don't need a map," Liz quickly replied. "I've been this way so many times."
"Oh," he said, leaning back in the seat. Lit's "Miserable" began to play on the radio. "I love this song!" Kyle leaned between Liz and Maria, breaking Liz's concentration, and turned up the volume.
"Kyle!" Maria slapped his hand.
"Owe!" Kyle complained, leaning back in his seat again.
"Kyle, could you please just sit down and be quiet?" Maria said.
"Fine," Kyle sighed. Liz closed her eyes and another image flashed through her mind from the dream she'd had.
"We're close," said Liz.
"That's-that's good. How close?" said Maria. Liz didn't reply for a moment. She concentrated on the images from her dream.
"Stop!" Liz suddenly spat. Maria hit the breaks and the small car came to an abrupt stop, tossing clouds of
dirt into the air around it.
"Whoa!" Alex gasped.
"I'm sorry," said Maria.
"We're in the middle of nowhere," said Kyle. "What did you think you were gonna pass!" Maria looked at Liz.
"Come on," said Liz, opening her door and getting out. Maria and Alex quickly exited the car after her.
"Whatever," Kyle rolled his eyes and got out too.
"This way," said Liz, pointing east, then she began to walk. Alex and Maria followed at her sides.
"Where are we going?" Kyle asked. The three continued to walk. Kyle sighed then caught up with them to follow Liz's lead.
***
"We've been walking for over an hour," Alex complained. "My legs hurt."
"We're almost there, Alex," said Liz. "We're close."
"If I wanted to exercise, I would've gone to the gym," said Kyle.
"You go to the gym, Kyle?" Maria asked.
"Yeah," he nodded proudly.
"I would have never guessed," Maria joked.
"Funny, Maria," said Kyle. Liz suddenly paused.
"There," she pointed. About two hundred yards away was a large, fenced in area.
"Area Fifty-One," Alex's jaw dropped.
"I don't believe this," Kyle said.
"I don't think this is Area Fifty-One," said Maria. "Right?" Liz shrugged.
"I don't know whether or not it's Area Fifty-One," said Liz. "But this is it."
"Isabel, Max and Michael are in there?" asked Kyle. Liz turned to him.
"Kyle, listen, whatever Sheriff Valenti told you about them, it's not-."
"Look!" Alex interrupted.
A distance away from the fenced-in area was what looked like a crack in the desert's ground. "Maybe it's a way in," Alex said optimistically.
"I don't think so," said Liz.
"Come on," said Kyle, and he started toward it.
"Liz, I think Kyle knows," Maria whispered.
"We'll have to think of something and deal with him, later, Maria," said Liz.
As the four of them started toward the opening, Liz tried to think of how she would deal with Kyle. What would Max do? She thought. Max…this had to be a nightmare for the three of them. The thought of scientists performing experiments on Max, Michael and Isabel made her stomach do flips. Walking at Liz's side, Maria was worried sick about Michael. She felt helpless not being able to end Michael's suffering. And she felt even more miserable without him.
As they grew closer to the opening, Alex thought about what it would be like from the aliens' perspectives. All those scientists running tests, treating you like an unknown insect, Alex thought. Calling you things like "Number Two" and "Unknown Being." How could they? He thought. You don't replace a name as beautiful as Isabel with something so empty and meaningless. You don't treat a butterfly like a cockroach.
The four finally reached the opening. They each slide in one-by-one. And they dropped into what looked like a cave that had had the walls and ceiling boarded with wood. "This has to be a way inside," said Maria. They started down the tunnel.
"I don't think they're going to let us just stroll right in," said Alex.
"We'll find a way in," said Liz. "This couldn't have been here that long, so-."
"If this is Area Fifty-One, then it's been here since 1947," said Kyle.
"We don't know if this is Area Fifty-One or not," said Maria.
"Hopefully there isn't too much security," said Liz.
"Liz, are you crazy?" said Alex. "They could be on to us right now."
***
"We must move faster," a scientist, Dr. Wolf, said. "Look at these charts. We don't have much time."
"What do you suggest?" a second scientist asked.
"Stage two."
***
"It's a dead end!" said Alex. The tunnel stopped at a dirt wall.
"No," Maria shook her head. "No."
"This can't be a dead end, you guys," Liz said, trying not to cry.
"I can't believe this," said Kyle. "What the hell is going on? I want to know right now."
"This is not the time for one of your Valenti attacks," said Maria. Whenever Sheriff Valenti pops up in the Crashdown and starts to ask questions about the day Liz was shot or anything else that had happened afterwards, Maria would call it a "Valenti Attack."
"What?" said Kyle.
"Just stop speaking," Maria snapped.
Something suddenly caught Alex's eye. There was something silvery hidden in the dirt wall. He approached the wall and placed his hand on whatever it was. "Alex, what are you doing?" Liz asked. Alex pressed on the small object poking out of the dirt.
Suddenly the dirt wall began to collapse. The four jumped back, gasping. "Whoa!" Maria said as the dirt fell to the ground, revealing a door. "Alex," said Maria. "What did you just do?" Alex shrugged, staring at the door.
"There's no handle," Kyle pointed out. "How are we supposed to get in?"
***
"One…two…three," Maria counted. At once, they all lunged themselves at the door. And they all hit the door and were knock to the ground. "Ouch," Maria complained.
"Again," Liz said as they stood. "We're running out of time." They positioned themselves and Alex did the count.
"Three…two…one…"
The door cracked open! "Yes!" Alex said. Maria, Alex and Liz joined in on a group hug. Seeing Kyle was standing alone, Maria said, "Come over here, Kyle."
"No, thanks," he said. They ignored his refusal and forced him into the hug, across from Liz.
***
"Maria, you're with me," said Liz. "Alex, you're with Kyle." They were standing in a small room that had a control area and monitors. It was obvious that a guard was supposed to be watching the monitors and the hidden door. As they started toward the monitors, Alex quickly pulled Kyle aside. "What are you doing?"
"I need to ask you something, now," said Alex, pulling him aside.
"Oh my God," Maria gasped, staring at one of the monitors with Liz. They could see Isabel and Michael lying on steel operating tables. There were five scientist and/or doctors standing over them. "Liz," Maria looked at her with teary eyes.
"We're gonna help them, Maria," Liz assured her.
"Get away from me," Kyle said, pushing away from Alex. "Liz, Maria, let's go, now."
"It was a simple question," Alex said with a laugh.
Liz, Maria, Alex and Kyle started toward the door into the building.
To be continued...