By Dave.Mycock The Fight for Antar
Disclaimer: I do not own Roswell or any of the characters involved it, it belongs to Jason Katims.
Subject: Max/Tess
Notes: This is the sequel to my first Roswell Fic The End Time, a quick recap. Tess returned to earth with Max's son, the army begin searching for her. Max now remembering everything from his past life is now in love with Tess and begins helping her. When Liz finds out she snaps and betrays the alien to the army along with Maria in hopes that Alex's killer will be brought to justice. Max has Isabel contact their remaining duplicates to come and help them. Once they arrive they are stunned to find that Max's double Zhan is also alive thanks to Ava stealing one of the healing stones. Max hatches a plan to get them back to their home world and uses Brody to contact Laric so he can send a ship to collect them. He plans to defeat Ka'var and Lani (Isabel's double) and free his people. Valenti and Kyle escape Roswell and head for a new life. The aliens leave just as Liz and Maria arrive along with the army.
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Liz and Maria looked into the sky as they heard the loud noise echo around them, they notice a white light just over the hill. Carlson quickly looked up as well and cursed as he saw the light
"Damn it get me the base now" he demanded to the nearest marine
"Yes sir" the man swallowed nervously as he handed his commander his radio
"This is Major Carlson, we need fighter support now, we have a hostile ship just north of Roswell" he all but bellowed into the radio
"Understood, E.T.A twenty minutes" came the reply
"Is it too late?" asked Maria
"Not yet" Carlson hissed
The ship was just lifting into the atmosphere as the jets came into view, before they could lock their weapons onto the alien ship it took off at an incredible speed leaving the earth jets far behind.
"This is Night Hawk, sorry Major the ships gone" one of the pilots reported
"Damn it" Carlson cursed as he led his men in search of a way around the creator the aliens created to stall them
"We failed, Alex's killer just went free" Liz all most screamed she had failed her friend and aloud his killer to escape punishment
"You never know Liz they may come back and we'll have another chance," Maria said trying to be comforting to her distraught friend
"I doubt it, they identities have been compromised, they wouldn't risk it" Carlson told them as he walked towards them
"They may be forced to risk it, their planet is in the hands of a dictator, the person responsible for their deaths the first time round" Liz said as looked back into the sky hoping she was right
"Well there's nothing left to do tonight, we might as well leave, I'll be coming to talk to you both tomorrow" Carlson said with a heavy sigh
"Fine'" Liz said as she turned and headed away from them, Maria followed close behind, neither noticed Carlson's dark glare as he watched them leave
Max sat holding his son next to Tess as she slept in the room they had been given; Isabel was in the room next to them with Michael and Wrath and next to them was Zhan and Ava. The entire crew seemed to be a little off balance at seeing two of each member of the royal four except Isabel but they quickly recovered their senses as they set course for Aral. Max felt a little better than the crew had taken on Human form so they didn't seem to Alien; he wondered what would happen once they reached Aral and then Antar itself. How would he handle seeing thousands of aliens, talking to them, interacting with them? He shook his head as he yawned, he was still trying to stay awake but he was failing and soon he closed his eyes and sank back into the bed that they were on. He was relived that these ships had something you could sleep on, the captain, Zaraon had said that because it was such a long journey between Aral and Earth it was necessary for them to be able to sleep for a few hours.
Zhan paced the room they were in somewhat nervously, he had thought about this for so long but he had never believed it would actually happen. He was going home, however to enjoy that experience he had to help defeat Ka'var and his followers and then there was Lani. His own sister had betrayed not once but twice, Max was lucky that Isabel had none of Valundra's memories. He swore that he; Ava and Wrath would make Lani pay for what she had done. Another thing that made him nervous was the fact that he could see his mother again, if she was still alive. He wondered how Max felt about that, he wondered if he had any plans on how to defeat Ka'var. This was a huge gamble but in the end that was what they had been sent to Earth for, so they could one day return and free their people.
Isabel could only thing about two things as she watched Michael and Wrath talk, the first thing was how her human parents were and Jessie, she couldn't stop thinking how he ad left them in the alley near the UFO centre. The second thing was what her real mother would be like once they got past Ka'var, Nicholas and Lani. When her thoughts came to Lani she began to feel really angry, she had a score to settle with her double, thanks to Lani her relationship with Max had almost been destroyed and she wanted her to pay for it. Then there was the fact that she not only corrupted Wrath but also murdered her brother's double. Although thanks to Ava both of those problems had been solved, thanks to stealing one of the healing stones she had revived Zhan and then they had managed to make Wrath see his error. 'What would happen when they arrived on Aral, how would the people treat them?' she wondered
Michael was somewhat surprised that he and his double were a lot alike; they were discussing how their lives on Earth had been. Both were full of pain and trouble. He had also asked about what Wrath remembered of their past life as well as their relationship with Valundra. Wrath remembered everything from their world, just like Max now did, he wanted so badly to remember as well that he was thinking about asking Max and Tess or even Wrath to help him begin to remember. He doubted Isabel would want to remember anything from her past life especially her betrayal of their family. According to Wrath they had a cousin on Aral who most likely was a member of the resistance, as he strongly doubted he would join Ka'var and the skins. Their cousin's name was Fal'car; he had been one of the royal guards just before Ka'var had attacked. Michael had asked how Wrath knew he was still alive and he just shrugged and said he hoped he was still alive.
Major Carlson stormed into his office; his men were all trying to avoid him and his temper. Unfortunately not all of them had been successful and had to bare the full extent of his anger. They had just lost the chance to capture and study eight aliens; Liz and Maria had confirmed four of them as very hostile. The fact that they had out smarted him had really annoyed him; the one who had crashed four nights ago had killed ten of their best scientists and five marines. If Liz had been right and they were forced to return he hoped he would have the chance to capture them again, he vowed he would not fail again.
Liz had decided to sleep over at Maria's so they could talk about what had happened in the last twenty four hours, their lives had been turned upside down again except this time they had betrayed the aliens instead of helping them. Both knew it had been the right choose from their point of view, by aiding Tess they had betrayed them all especially Alex's memory. Liz was still having trouble getting over the way Max had told their relationship was dead, that he was no longer just Max Evans he was now also Zhan King of Antar and husband to Ava seen as that was Tess's real name. Maria had been having a lot of trouble with Michael so it wasn't having too much of an emotional effect on her yet. But finally she could no longer hold back her emotions and she began to cry as Maria quickly gathered her in a hug.
Jim Valenti slowly pulled the car into a motel car park and shut off the engine, they had been driving for nearly five hours none stop and Kyle had fallen asleep. He wondered how Max and the others were doing now, somewhere out they're on an alien ship, then he wondered how his father would of coped with this situation. He shook his head with a smile knowing they would be safe, Max would do everything to ensure it. For him and Kyle now it was over, no more running and hiding from the FBI or the army. They were going to visit a friend of his who would create them new identities and make it look like Jim and Kyle Valenti were dead. Not even Liz and Maria would know they were still alive.
Max woke to find Tess holding their son and watching him with an intense and loving gaze, he smiled as the memory of the first time they made love on earth came back to him. As much as it had been unexpected and the fact that he was under great stress at the time they had both been willing participants.
"Hey" Tess said leaning down and giving him a quick kiss on the lips but Max instantly reached up and deepened it for a few seconds before letting her go
"Hey" he finally returned
"The Captain called a few minutes ago, he told me to tell you we're almost there," Tess told him smiling Max nodded as he sat up properly and yawned, he realised now he would have a long day planning how to retake Antar with as few casualties as possible, however his memory of Ka'var's uprising left him with little doubt that many would die
"Max?" Tess asked concerned at Max's silence
"I'm fine, we'd better get everyone together, we're got a lot to plan" Max said with a smile
"I know, but can we just lay here for a while?" she asked hesitantly
"Sure" he said placing a hand around and guiding her to him, she lay her head against his chest as she held their son, Max used his other hand to hold his son's hand
Zhan was sleeping next to Ava who was now wide awake with fear, she had wanted to go hoe for so long but now they faced a hard fight to free their planet and their people and what scared her most was the fact that she could loose Zhan. He would be helping Max lead the fight and she feared his noble and fierce personality would get him killed especially if he faced Nicholas or Ka'var himself. She would never be able to live without Zhan; she loved him with everything she was. And she now knew that Zhan loved her just as much, since she had revived him he had made her fully aware of just how much he loved her. She was glad Max had finally realised he loved Tess even though it had cost him Liz's friendship, it was after all what was supposed to happen what was destined to happen. Zhan finally began to stir and she smiled as he sub consciously pulled her closer, his eyes finally opened and focused on her, she quickly hid her fear before he could see it.
The Captain of the vessel made his way to Max's chamber with his second in command, he had felt very lucky and honoured when Laric had chosen him to bring back the royal four, and their doubles. He couldn't wait for the war against Ka'var to begin, Ka'var was responsible for the death of his sister during the uprising and he wanted him to pay and soon he would have that revenge. Their king had finally returned and the fact that there were now two of them made him believe it increased their chances of success. His second in command shared this view, as he had lost not only a sister but his father and mother as well, they had grown very close since the uprising. And now they would fight side by side for the fate of the world.
Max was just finishing getting dressed when the Captain and his second entered, Tess was already dressed and was now feeding the baby the last of the milk they had taken from The UFO centre
"Your Highness" both aliens greeted him
Max just nodded his head not really knowing what else to do, he had the memories of been a king but actually been one was a hole different thing
"We are now only three hours away from Aral," the captain reported
"Good, is there somewhere me and the others can plan our attack against Ka'var?" Max asked
"Of course highness" the captain nodded "We were ordered to bring up maps and all other relevant data for you to use by Laric," he added
"Great where did you set it up?" Max asked
"In the secondary bridge room, I will take you there now, my second will collect the other royal members and bring them to join you" the captain answered
Max nodded as Tess came over holding their now sleeping son; the captain nodded to her and then began to walk out of the room. Max and Tess followed him as they watched the captain's second entering Zhan and Ava's chamber first. They both guessed it was because they were the doubles of themselves. They entered a huge chamber will a lot of controls and screens, each had information running through them. Max noticed it was in the same language the book had been in, luckily now he remembered how to read it. He then noticed the table in the middle of the room where maps and other material were laid out. As he and Tess moved over to the table Zhan and Ava entered the chamber followed by Wrath, Michael and Isabel. The captain's second then entered
"These are maps of both Aral and Antar, including Ka'var's military forces and the palace where he and Valundra stay" the captain informed them
"Where is our mother kept?" Zhan asked
"She is kept in the palace, Ka'var dare not kill her. If he did there would be more of our people joining the resistance," the captain answered
"We have to make sure we reach the palace before Ka'var can harm her" Zhan said to Max, his gaze was full of fire
"Agreed" Max nodded, he didn't want to put his mothers life in danger, and somehow they had to reach the palace just as the fight began if possible
"That will be hard your highness" the captain said with a frown
"I'm sure there is a way Maxwell" Michael said confidently
"Well lets start going through this information, then we come up with a plan" Max said, the others all nodded, the captain and his second left them to their work.
Max scanned the maps for the hundredth time trying to find the quickest route to the palace, but so far it seemed that at the first sign of trouble Ka'var's forces would manage to cut of all charges to the palace. That meant Ka'var would have time to either kill his mother or use her as a hostage when the rebels arrived. Wrath and Michael were going over the information on Ka'var's forces, whilst Isabel, Ava and Tess were going through the information on the planet themselves. Zhan was next to him trying to see the way to the palace along side him. They all were quite tired and they were only an hour away from Aral according to the captain, and so far they hadn't manage to find a decent plan to over throw Ka'var, not without wide spread bloodshed.
"Anything?" Zhan asked rubbing his neck
"Nothing yet, what we need is the location of the rebel bases, especially the ones on Antar" Max replied
"The captain said only Laric would give us that information," Zhan reminded him
"I know but we need it now" Max said somewhat angry
"Maybe you could try ordering them to give it to us" Tess said as she walked over followed by Ava and Isabel
"I don't want to push it, I'm just getting used to been here" Max said with a shake of his head
"Then maybe I should try, I am you, you are me and we are both king" Zhan said with a smile
"We have to let him try Maxwell, if we want to come up with a good enough plan to overthrow Ka'var without to much bloodshed then we need all relevant information" Michael told him as he and his double joined the discussion
"Okay" Max nodded at his double "Don't be do demanding okay" he warned him
"No problem" Zhan smiled and then headed for the bridge
"You're worried about what Nicholas said during the summit aren't you Max, about your predecessor making bad decisions?" Tess asked
"I don't want to alienate them by been too demanding or arrogant" Max explained
"It'll be okay Max" Isabel told him, he managed to give her a smile
Zhan walked onto the bridge for the first time since they had boarded the ship, the captain and his second spotted him and walked over to him
"Is there a problem?" the captain asked
The fact that the captain hadn't addressed him as highness as he did Max was beginning to annoy him. He was also Zhan, and that meant he also had a right to the throne of Antar. He quickly shook his head and cleared his thoughts
"We need the information on the location of the rebel bases on Antar and we need them now" Zhan answered
"I already informed his highness that only Laric can give you that information" the captain shot back
"Then I am ordering you to give us the information," Zhan told him with a frown
"You are not the King" the captain responded
"But I am, I am Zhan just as much as Max is" Zhan replied angrily
"He was certified by the emissary during the summit you were not" the captain told him
"We need this information to plan the attack," he explained
"I am sorry, but only Laric and the other leaders have that information," the captain told him
Zhan sighed, why hadn't they just told them that in the first place instead of making it seem that they had it but only Laric would give it to the. He turned and made his way of the bridge, he decided to talk to Max about the highness issue, it didn't mind not been king but the fact that their people didn't see him as king was very annoying. He had the right just like Max did.
Carlson walked into the crash down followed by two of his best men; he noticed Liz and Maria sitting at one of the tables. Both looked tired but he didn't care, he had run ragged by General Parker for his failure to capture the aliens and now he wanted to take his anger out on someone and he chosen Liz and Maria for that purpose. He waked over and sat in front of them, his glared at the two girls who just stared at him
"So what do you want, I thought it was over?" Liz asked rubbing her eyes
"I want to know why they escaped, I want to know if you were secretly helping them" Carlson sneered as he spoke his anger over taking his common sense
"No we did not," Liz almost shouted before realising that would attract her parent's attention
"Yeah well I'm under orders to find out why the aliens escaped and that means I have to question you all over again and Mr.Davis as well," Carlson told them
"Why would we help the bitch who killed our friend?" Liz demanded
"Maybe you were lying about him been killed by the female alien, according to the official police report he was in a car accident and they suspected it may have been suicide" Carlson replied
"He did not commit suicide," Liz said through clenched teeth
"We'll see, I have ordered a new investigation into it, my men here will escort you to the base whilst I collect Mr.Davis" Carlson informed them
"What we have work to do here," Maria argued
"Not until I have my answers" Carlson told them standing up and walking out of the shop, Liz and Maria were flanked by the two guards and forced to exit the shop.
"I can't believe this" Liz hissed her anger beginning to get the better of her
"Liz" Maria warned her friend knowing that when she got angry her powers flared and in this company that would be very bad
Zhan re-entered the secondary bridge room a bit more carm now, he walked to the table where Max was discussion Ka'var's forces strength and weaknesses.
"Well how did it go?" Wrath asked
"Well thanks to them been a little more clear, they can't give us the information because they don't have it here, only Laric and the other leaders of the resistance has the information" Zhan told them
"Great" Max sighed somewhat annoyed
"So what now Max" Ava asked her lovers double
"We use what we have here and come up with what we can, like how to take Ka'var's bases and things like that" Max answered trying to stop himself yawing
"Well we'd better get started, we only have at least a half hour left before we arrive on Aral" Zhan said with a nod
Liz paced the room she and Maria were been kept in; she was having trouble keeping her anger under control. If she lost it now inside the army base she would be in deep trouble especially with Carlson keeping a close eye on them. If he found out she had powers like Max and the others he would use her to keep his reputation secured and make up for allowing Max and the others to escape.
"How long do you think they're going to keep us here?" Maria asked
"I don't know, but I can't keep carm much longer" Liz answered leaning against the wall
"You have to Liz or we are going to be a lot more trouble" Maria warned her
"I know, this is all that bitch's fault" Liz seethed
"Liz, you're going to blow up if you think about her," Maria said sitting down on a near by bed
Liz just nodded and turned away from her friend and tried to concentrate on something more relaxing that Tess and Max just as the door to the room opened and Carlson walked in flanked by three marines
"I hope you feel a bit more relaxed now," Carlson said with false concern
"Yeah we feel so much better" Maria said sarcastically
"Good follow me" Carlson ordered them as he turned and left, the guards stayed until Liz and Maria followed him reluctantly
"Where are we going now?" Liz demanded
"My superior General Parker wants to question you, Maria and Mr.Davis who is already in his office" Carlson replied
"Great" Liz hissed quietly
Zhan motioned for Max to follow him into the hallway whilst they took a break for planning their attack; he had decided to see if Max could get him the recognition he deserved
"What's wrong?" Max asked
"Have you noticed that this crew refer to you as your highness but not me?" Zhan asked
"Not really, I take it you want the same recognition as you are also the reincarnation of the former king of Antar?" Max guessed
"Yes, it's not that I want to be king after all this but I do deserve to be addresses properly as I am Zhan" Zhan explained
"I'll see what I can do, but it may have to do with the fact that they see you as the secondary set of the royal four" Max told him
"I know that, Wrath explained that was how our set we're viewed but still I am you and as a reincarnation of their former king I deserve to be addressed as such" Zhan replied
"But you don't want to be king once this is all over?" Max asked
"No, plus you and Tess have a stronger claim as you have an heir" Zhan said with smile
"I'll have a talk with them once we get to Aral, for now we'd better get back to planning our assault on Ka'var" Max assured his double
"Razor" Zhan smiled as he followed Max back into the room
General Parker was seated in front of his desk as Major Carlson led Liz and Maria into his office; Brody was already sitting on a chair facing him. Liz and Maria both noticed his was nervous and confused, he smiled somewhat at seeing them but it quickly vanished.
"Sit down" Parker commanded, they did as ordered
Major Carlson stayed behind them with one his men, Liz had managed to carm herself down during their walk but she knew she wouldn't last long if pushed especially by Carlson himself.
"I want to know why those aliens escaped?" Parker commanded
"We don't know, we did everything we could to help you capture them" Maria replied
"So you say, but Major Carlson seems to think you were actually helping them and diverting my men in their hunt" Parker told them leaning back into his chair
"Major Carlson is mistaken" Liz told him sternly
"We'll see, you're both going to have a lie detector test, if it's positive you will be under arrest for lying to the United States military. If it's negative I will allow you to you leave is that understood?" he told them, they both just nodded
"What about me?" Brody asked
"We are confused how you remember none of the events Major Carlson has reported you were part of, now according to Miss Parker there you can be processed by an alien named Laric if this is the case then you could be a threat" Parker answered
"I doubt Laric would need to process Brody ever again as Max and the others have left the planet, that was the only reason why he took Brody's body" Liz said hoping to spare Brody any trouble. She knew if they did all get out of this they would have to answer a lot of questions that Brody would no doubt have.
Max walked onto the bridge with Tess by his side; they held hands and stayed in close contact. Ava and Zhan were looking after their son whilst they talked with the captain and his second. He had decided to sort the situation with Zhan out now as well as a few other things. The captain noticed them and quickly walked over to them and bowed his head slightly
"Is there a problem highness?" the captain asked as his second joined them
"No we just need to speak with you about a few things" Max replied
"Of course" the captain nodded and led them to a room just next to the bridge, it was prity small compared to most of the rooms but it had a table and a few chairs in it.
"This is where I rest, I need to be close to the bridge in case of an emergency" the captain explained
"I understand" Max said looking around the room and taking in every detail
"What is it you wish to discuss highness?" the captain inquired as he sat in the tallest of the chairs
"First thing is my double" Max told him
"What about him?" the captain asked with a frown
"Well he and I have both noticed how you refer to me as highness and yet you do not do so witb him, how come?" Max told him
"There can only be one king highness, if there was two then it could cause another rebellion" the captain replied
"True but my double has my intent on been king after all this, but he does have the right to be addressed as highness as well as he is the reincarnation of your king as much as I am" Max explained to him
"So you wish us to address him as highness as well if that correct?" the captain asked
"Yes I do, like I said we both have the right to the title however he has no wish to rule" Max nodded
"Very well highness" the captain nodded
"Also I would to know what will happen once we reach Aral?" Max asked
"Laric will meet us at Aral along with some of the rebellion's greatest fighters" the captain explained "They will take you to Antar under the cover on a stolen ship which has Ka'var's markings on it" the captain added
"That way it will not be stopped or searched at the security check points" the captain's second finally spoke
"I see, so we'll finally meet Laric face to face," Tess said with a smile knowing Max had wanted to talk with Laric since his memory had returned
"Is that all highness?" the captain asked standing
"Yes thank you" Max nodded and led Tess out of the small room and back towards the secondary bridge where the others were.
Liz was once pacing across the room she and Maria had been locked in, however Maria wasn't here this time to keep her carm. She was in another room having the lie detector test, her anger at Tess, Max and everything to do with the hybrids were beginning to get to her. She was going to loose soon if they didn't get out of here fast enough, the door suddenly opened and Brody was pushed into it. Liz groaned as she knew she would now be hounded by Brody for what he had learned in General Parker's office, especially about him been processed by Laric.
"Liz" Brody said with a nod
"How you doing Brody?" she asked hoping to keep the conversation off anything to do with aliens, however her luck had obviously deserted her as Brody quickly began to asked her to explain what she had said in the general's office
"Well Liz?" Brody asked as she tried to avoid looking into his eyes
"Brody" Liz began trying to make up some sort of lie of deflection but Brody would not listen
"I want an explanation now Liz" he told her his anger was in full swing and she became somewhat nervous
"Okay Brody, you better sit down," she said with a shake of her head, knowing it was useless to lie now as Max and the others had left. No harm could come from telling Brody the truth now, and it wasn't like she owed Max and the others anything anymore. Brody sat on one of the beds but his eyes never left her, it was as if he was watching for signs of deceit
"Max, Isabel, Tess, Michael and the people who look like them are alien hybrids" Liz started simply
"Excuse me?" Brody asked shocked "Are you telling me I was close to at least seven aliens and no one told me?" he asked angrily
"Yes, neither me or Maria could tell you Brody, it was a secret" Liz told him
"I don't believe it, Max was an alien," he said and it seemed to Liz he was trying to convince himself rather than asking her to clarify it
"Yes, they've been hiding in Roswell since they came here" Liz told him "the signal you found that attracted you here was sent out by Max and the others when they activated two alien communicators" she added
"I see, so that also why Max seems so interested in that device I found?" Brody asked
"Yes, it's a device that stops them from using their powers, once you were electrocuted and it allowed you to access the memories of the alien who uses your body to communicate with them, so you could use the device yourself" Liz informed him
"So I have the memories of some alien in my head, how come I could never access them until I got electrocuted as you say?" Brody asked
"I don't know, Laric must have placed some sort of shield around them making sure you'd never uncover them," Liz suggested
"Max knew this alien was using my body, why didn't he tell me, at least then I could make sense out of why I kept thinking I'd been abducted?" Brody said his anger back
"I don't think Max wanted to involve you, everyone who got involved paid a price especially Alex" Liz said her own anger flaring as she remembered her dead friend
"Wasn't he killed in a car accident?" Brody asked confused
"No he was killed by Tess" Liz said her anger beginning to get the better of her
"Why?" Brody asked
"Because she is a cold hearted bitch" Liz spat her powers suddenly flaring knocking two of the near by beds screeching across the room just as Major Carlson walked into the room next followed by Maria and two guards
"Oh no" Maria said as she realised Carlson had seen Liz using her powers, Brody seems shocked as was slowly backing away from her
"You're one of them, guards" Carlson roared, the two guards quickly flanked Liz who was just recovering from her power flare and slowly realised her situation had become much worse
Max stood on the bridge next to Tess as she held their son; Zhan and Ava were next to them, Isabel was behind them long with Michael and Wrath as the captain brought the ship down onto Aral's landing platform. It surprised Max that they could land such a big ship on the planet itself. He was very nervous about meeting Laric face to face, but also very excited about it. He placed his arm around Tess and brought her closer causing her to look at him and give him a loving smile that he returned
"I can't believe it, we're on another planet" Isabel said quietly
"I know, it's amazing" Max said glancing at his sister
"We're not just on another planet guys, we're almost home" Wrath added smiling
"Yeah but we're far from home, we still have to get rid of Ka'var and Lani and the rest of their followers" Zhan added fiercely
"I know, but at least we're one step closer to home" Ava said kissing Zhan on the cheek quickly, he smiled and took his hand in his and gave it a kiss in return
"You're right," he told Ava who just smiled at him
"Well Maxwell now the real struggle begins" Michael told him
"Yeah but we're together and that makes us stronger than anything" Max said giving each of his friends and his wife a smile
"United we will win right Max?" Tess asked
"Yes we will win," he said giving her a confident smile "We have to," he added silently
"Highness we have completed landing, I will escort you to the rear entrance where Laric will be waiting for you" the captain told him
"Thanks, and thanks for coming to get us" Max told the captain giving him a smile
"The honour was ours highness, we had brought the royal family back to us so they can lead us to final victory against Ka'var and finally our planet will be free again" the captain told him as he faced the entire group, each of them just smiled and followed the captain of the bridge.
Liz was now standing in a cell; five guards were posted in front of her door in case she tried to escape. Maria and Brody were in cells just across from her, Maria was scared and fearful as what would happen however Brody was more confused than anything else. Liz herself couldn't stop berating herself for her slip in control, now her life was forfeit. She was sure of it, they now knew she had alien powers just like Max and the others and she guessed her next destination was the white room and that she feared more than anything.
"Liz?" Brody's voice broke through her thoughts
"What?" she asked
"I want to know what just happened? How did you do that?" he asked ignoring the guards cold glare
"I don't know" Liz lied hoping to trick her way out of this mess
"I doubt that" Carlson's voice was heard, they each looked out of their cells and see the Major standing near the first guard
"I really didn't know I could do that," Liz protested
"Hey maybe it's a side effect of been healed by the aliens Liz, I mean you've studied science maybe their powers have special effects on humans" Maria suggested going along with Liz's idea knowing what she was trying to do
"That is a possibility, we'll find out soon enough" Carlson said with a cold smile before walking away. The smile sent shivers up Liz's spine
Max followed closely behind the captain with his hand over Tess's shoulder whilst she carried their son; behind them were Zhan, Ava and Isabel, Michael and Wrath brought up the rear. They walked towards a tall building, which was built in what looked like silver crystal, and the windows seem see-through. They entered the building and were shocked to see a replica of Brody standing near the corner
"Brody?" Max asked forgetting in his surprise how the crew of the ship had taken on human form to make them feel more at home, and it didn't accrue to him that Laric would do the same
"No it's me Laric" the replica replied with a frown surprising Max
"Oh sorry, I just forgot to suspect something like this" Max explained
"No problem, we' don't have much time, thank you Captain Ja'nar" Laric said
The captain nodded and then bowed to Max and the others and then returned to his ship without a second glance
"I trust your trip was uneventful?" Laric asked
"Yeah no problems, we did a bit of work on planning our attack on Ka'var" Max replied
"First each of you take one of these, they are already active so we don't need to explain they will work" Laric told them
"What do they do?" Max inquired as he was handed a rectangle like device much like the device Brody had acquired that stopped them from using their powers. He had forgotten it's name for now, there was a few differences such as a red crystal in the centre and two purple lights on it
"They will make you appear just like us, we can't have you walking around Aral or Antar looking like humans, Ka'var would know instantly something was wrong if he got a report stating humans were on this planet" Laric explained to them
"Cool" Michael said with a smile
"Also do not talk to anyone outside the people here okay?" Laric told them
"Understood" Max nodded, as did the others
"Okay lets go" Laric said as he headed for the exit, Max and the others followed quickly as Laric's companions took up the rear
Liz was escorted towards a nearby building but as soon as she was inside, Liz knew she was about to become some sort of experiment. She closed her eyes and suddenly cried out in her mind for Max's help.
Max almost stopped walking as he heard what sounded like Liz crying out for help; Tess looked at him strangely as he shook his head
"What's wrong?" she asked
"I just, it sounded like Liz was calling out for help" Max answered
"You mean she used her powers to contact you like Isabel can?" Tess asked confused
"Yes, it's possible she copied the ability when Isabel used her to warn me about Lani the last time we met our doubles" Max nodded
"Maybe she's trying to trick you" Michael said from behind them
"Well we can't do anything anyway, we're on another planet" Isabel reminded them
"We'll talk later, it's possible she'll try again" Max told them
Tess didn't look too happy about this new development but Max gave her a warm smile and quickly leant down and gave her a quick kiss "Don't worry Tess I'm not going to leave you or our son" he told her, she smiled at him and nodded
Liz sat dejectedly in her cell; Carlson who had watched the entire thing with a cold smile had subjected her to hours of tests. Her body felt like it had been turned inside out, all she wanted to do was sleep but she feared to close eyes in case they came for her again. Since they had taken her she had heard a small voice inside her head calling out for Max that annoyed her and filled her with anger. Why should she trust him to help now after he had already betrayed her once before, hell he most likely thought it would be funny seeing her like this.
Max sat in what he could describe as an alien version of a van except it flew instead of drove; Tess was asleep next to him whilst Isabel held Zhan. Max was happy his sister had something else to think about than why Jessie had run away at the UFO centre and what their real mother would think of her once she learned the truth. Across from them were Zhan and Ava who were talking quietly; about what Max could not guess but form the smile of their faces he guessed it was something good. Michael and Wrath were next to two of Laric's men at the back, they were busy talking strategy which did not surprise him as he knew Michael had waited for this day since he came out of the pods and he also knew Wrath had wanted nothing more than to go home which is how Lani had corrupted him, she had used his one weakness against him.
"So where are we going Laric?" he asked as he looked at Laric who sat next to the driver
"To one of our small hidden ports, from there we'll take a small fighter to Antar" Laric replied
"How long will the trip take?" he inquired
"If we don't run into any trouble with Ka'var's forces then about three hours" Laric answered
"Then what?" Isabel asked joining in the conversation
"We will take you to one of bases and then that's where you will take over, from there it's all up to you" Laric told them with a smile
Max and Isabel shared a glance at the prospect that the entire planet and it's neighbours future all rested on what they would do next. They both feared they'd make a mistake and yet they knew they could not afford to think like that. Max closed his eyes and tried to sleep only to hear Liz's voice once again asking for his voice although it was still laced with anger and betrayal.
"Max?" Tess yawned
"I'm here love," he said kissing her on the top of her head "What is it?" he asked
"Nothing" she replied taking his hand in hers and kissing it gently "Are we there yet?" she asked
"No, go back to sleep, we're going to need all the sleep we can" he told her, she smiled at him and rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes, Max rested his own head on hers and both soon drifted of to sleep not noticing Laric's wide smile at the sight nor Isabel's.
Brody fumed over what was happening to him at the moment, and yet none of it had really been his fault. According to the Major and Liz he could be taken over by an alien called Laric. Not just that that most of the people he had known here had been alien hybrids, Max and the others had all lied to him and he was very annoyed at that. He had trusted Max and he had betrayed that trust, the only thing that actually made him happy was the fact that he now new his abductions were real that his belief in aliens was justified.
Max stepped into the small fighter first; with Liz's Constance sending for help he was feeling somewhat alert. He knew Tess was growing concerned about how Liz had managed to get through to him with all that had happened and yet he knew she trusted him not to run back to her. That pleased him greatly as he didn't want anything to come between them; he sat down near the pilot's chair and watched as the others came aboard. Tess sat next to him feeding their son something Laric had given them; Michael sat across from them along with Isabel whilst Zhan, Ava and Wrath sat near the exit. Laric and one of his companions sat in the front of the craft, and began preparing the ship for their journey.
"Hopefully we will not run into any problems, but if we do strap yourselves in using the harnesses behind your seats" Laric told them, they all nodded They all watched as the craft descended upwards and away from Aral, as soon as it breached the atmosphere they all were amazed at the view of the stars
"Razor" Wrath said with wide eyes and a huge smile
"We're finally going home," Zhan said hugging Ava to him who was almost in tears at the prospect
Max looked into Tess's eyes and saw the happiness she was feeling at what was about to happen, they were going home and once they dealt with Ka'var and Lani and the other skins they would be free form the endless struggles and fear. But for Max one thing remained in him mind what was he to do about Liz, should he leave her in the army's hands or help her somehow. The only thing he knew for now was that freeing his people had to come first and so he hardened his heart and pushed his human side away. He had to be focused and only Zhan could do that, Max was too vulnerable to emotions and he could easily get side tracked he had to keep hold of the part of him that was Zhan the king of Antar or else all would fail.
Liz woke to find Maria and Brody now in the same cell as her; Maria's face was full of concern whilst Brody's showed only a little concern and the rest was anger. She could understand that, they had lied to him for two years since he had arrived and now he knew that he had the right to feel betrayed.
"Hey you okay Liz?" Maria asked
"Yeah, except for the huge headache I have" Liz replied as she slowly sat up and leaned against the wall
"So Liz, are you finally going to tell me the truth?" Brody asked "Later Brody, I don't think I'm up to it" Liz replied as a wave of hunger and pain shot through her
"I don't care Liz, you've lied to me for two years, why should I trust what you say now" Brody demanded
"Brody?" Maria asked somewhat startled at his response
"I'm sorry Maria but you knew as well didn't you?" he said finally looking at her Maria bowed her head as a bit of guilt rose up in her, she nodded in answer to Brody's question; his anger seemed to increase with Maria's conformation "I want the full story now beginning with this alien who can process me" he told them both with a stern glare
"Laric is an alien who lives on Max's home planet called Antar, they process humans so they can talk to or do anything else on Earth, Laric uses you for this. We find this out when Max went to New York to attend an alien summit if you will, Max didn't tell you because he didn't want to endanger you" Liz told him
"Why would finally knowing why I believed I had been abducted have endangered me?" he asked hotly
"If you had accidentally told the wrong person or if the army had found out then you would have been forced to hide or run just like we have been since finding out about Max and the others" Liz answered
"So what are Max and the others exactly?" Brody asked some of his anger dying as he became more curious
"They're hybrids, part alien part human, they were the royal four of their planet but they were killed in a rebellion led by an alien called Ka'var. They DNA was mixed with human DNA in the hoped they would be reborn. They were sent to earth but their ship crashed in 1947, however their pods were rescued thanks to the help of an army officer called Hal Carver. One set was taken to a chamber in Pullman's ranch and the second was set to L.A, I don't know why exactly. Each set had a guardian, the second's set guardian became a movie director as he came to like human life whilst Nasedo the first set's guardian stayed and watched them until he was forced to leave when he was almost discovered. He returned three years ago and he then brought Tess to Roswell to join with Max, Isabel and Michael and complete the set" Liz informed him
"Why wasn't she with them anyway?" Brody asked
"I think she didn't come out of her pod at the same time as Max and the others and so they were separated" Liz told him
"So is their any relation between them?" Brody asked not noticing the dark look from Liz or the grown from Maria
"Yes, Max and Isabel are brother and sister, Michael is Isabel's fiancée and Tess is Max's wife" Liz said the last part full of venom and her hand flashed green, Brody noticed it straight away
"Why did your hand just flash green?" Brody asked
"When Max saved my life somehow he changed me and I now have some powers, unfortunately I can't really control them" Liz answered hoping they're weren't any camera's or recorders in the cell
"So are you still human or now like them part alien?" Brody inquired
"I'm still human, I just have certain powers" Liz replied instantly
"So who is Laric?" Brody said as he sat down across from them
"He is Zhan's best friend, and before you ask Zhan is Max's real name" Liz said somewhat angrily
"I see and that's why he used me to contact Max because I am close to him?" Brody mused
"Sort of" Liz nodded
Ava looked to where Max was now holding his son whilst Tess slept, and she imagined what it would be like if her and Zhan had a child as well. She wondered if he would even want a son or daughter, she turned to look at her husband and noticed he was watching his double as well
"Zhan?" she said quietly
"Yes" he answered looking at her fondly
"After this is all over do you" she trailed of unable to complete the sentence, Zhan just smiled and nodded his head
"Yes I would love to have a child with you" he told her kissing her gently, when he pulled away there were tears in her eyes as he pulled her closer and wrapped her into his arms
Wrath just smiled at his friends actions and he wished Lani hadn't betrayed them, he had loved her fully and she had destroyed them all in their past life. And then she had done it again, at least this time they had survived and he had managed to repair the damage Lani had caused between him and Zhan and Ava. He couldn't wait to face her so he could make her pay for all the blood that was on her hands. He was somewhat curious to see what would happen between his double and Isabel now that they were no longer on earth and the fact that Isabel's human husband had deserted her just as Max came up with the plan to get them home.
Isabel tried to stay awake buy she couldn't fight to tiredness she felt, slowly her eyes closed and she laid her head on Michael's shoulder as if by instinct her brought a hand across her shoulder and brought her closer. Max noticed she movement and just smiled somewhat as he looked lovely at his wife who now slept in his lap whilst he held their son. He vowed they would succeed in defeating Ka'var and he would do anything necessary even give up his life to free his people and his family.
Liz sat sorely in the cell keeping very quite; she was no longer in the mood to answer Brody's questions. At the moment Maria was keeping him busy, but she knew he would start asking her questions again because he still didn't understand everything that had happened. Carlson kept making her uneasy by looking through the opening at her; the look in his eyes was very unnerving. It was like he was waiting for her to make a mistake so he could start testing on her again. She believed Max was aware of her situation due to some part of her calling out to him using some unknown part of her powers, she guessed it was like Isabel's mind calling but less powerful. She wondered if he would do anything to help them out of this, if he would risk coming back to at least free them. She doubted it seen as she had betrayed him.
"This is Antar" Laric said as they stepped out of the craft, the journey had been somewhat long but it had given them all time to rest up and prepare themselves for what lay ahead.
"It's beautiful," Isabel said in awe
"I never imagined it would be this wonderful" Max said as he looked around at the reddish sky and the two moons visible. The few buildings he could see were very big and quite fantastic. The light that reflected of it gave the buildings an emerald glow. Wrath and Michael stood side-by-side looking around with the same surprised look on their faces neither willing to say anything. Zhan and Ava stood near Tess who was holding baby Zhan close to her; each had a look of awe and wonder on their faces.
"We have to hurry, we can't afford to be stopped by any of Ka'var's forces, we have to reach the nearest safe base as quickly as possible" Laric informed them with a smile. Max nodded and indicated for Laric to lead on, he waited until Tess moved closer to him and then put his arm around her and followed Laric. Tess smiled peacefully as for the first time since finding Max and the others on Earth she felt she belonged.
Isabel was totally fascinated by the planet she now found herself on; she had never believed this place would be so beautiful; she began to forget her fears about Jessie and how her parents were coping. All she wanted to do now was met her real mother, she had the longing since they had activated the orbs and received the message from her. Michael was almost in shock at finally been here, back home where they belonged. And soon they would be involved in a fight to free this place for the rule of the person responsible for their deaths and exile from their home world when they were resurrected in a sense.
Liz looked up as Carlson walked back towards the cell, this time he had three guards with him. She shivered knowing she was going to be tested again; she noticed Maria and Brody had also noticed.
"The general wishes to speak to you Miss Parker, lets go" Carlson said his voice very cold
Liz stood up and dejectedly exited the cell not once looking at either her friend or Brody, she dreaded what would happen to her next, especially with the way Carlson was acting towards her.
Max tried to ignore the cries he heard inside his head from Liz but he couldn't she was in trouble and no matter what had happened between them he still owed her for all the times she had helped him and the others including Tess. He decided they had to do something about it now before they got into the fight against Ka'var. He turned to the others and motioned them to gather round.
"We've got a problem" he told them
One look at Max told Tess all she needed to know, Liz was still crying out for help and Max wanted to do something about it. Max looked at her and gave her a reassuring smile letting her know he wasn't going anywhere.
"What is it Max?" Isabel asked
"Liz is in trouble, she keeps crying out for help it's become quite distracting to me" he told them
"She deserves to be in shit for what she did to us" Michael hissed
"Maybe, I'm not arguing that point. What I'm saying is until we do something about I'm going to be distracted" he answered
"But we're on another planet Max what can we do?" Ava asked confused
"We can use whatever device Laric used to talk to us on earth to process someone on earth and help her out" Max answered quickly
"Max are you sure it's worth the risk?" Zhan asked worried about anything delaying their attack against Ka'var
"I'm sure, I can't concentrate when she keeps crying out for help I hear it every time I can't bloke it out" Max told them
"Ok Max, we'll talk to Laric once we're at the base then we deal with Liz and then we deal with Ka'var agreed" Tess said knowing the human side of Max would not allow him to leave Liz in danger not after everything they had gone through before she had returned. As much as she wished his connection to Liz was severed the way he responded to Liz's predicament by wanting to help made her remember just how like Zhan Max was.
"Agreed" Isabel nodded
"I'm not to sure how Laric will react to this Max but I guess we still owe them, for all the times they helped save our arses right?" Michael asked
"Right" Max agreed
"If Laric agrees, whilst you're helping Liz me and Wrath will go through the plans of Ka'var's bases and try and come up with a fast root from the base to the palace ok" Zhan informed them
"Good idea" Max said with a smile
****
Liz woke sluggishly from whatever had knocked her out; her talk with General Parker had turned into another interrogation session only then times as worse as the last one.
"Good you're awake" Isabel said walking towards her
"Isabel what in the hell, how did you get here?" she asked confused
"I'm not here, I'm dream walking you" Isabel replied with a frown
"Why? I betrayed you?" Liz asked standing up
"Because you keep crying out to Max for help, it's distracting him from dealing with Ka'var. He is about to lead a war against him to reclaim our world but he can't do that if he is distracted" Isabel explained hotly
"So, it's his fault I'm here. He betrayed me and the others for that bitch" Liz spat
"Tess is Max's wife Liz, you knew that ever since we got that message from our mother" Isabel told her own anger at Liz's actions beginning to boil over " Max refused to believe it and that caused Tess to follow Nasedo's plans for turning us over to Ka'var. That is why she betrayed us, she didn't mean to kill Alex even I know that now. It was an accident, but one that could have been avoided by all of us. She continued "Max got his memories back after that power outing, he couldn't help realising his true feelings for Tess he had to follow his heart" she finished
"How can you stand there and say it was an accident, Alex loved you he did everything for you" Liz shouted
"I know, but it's the truth Liz. Tess did not mean to kill Alex. You can choose not to believe it that's fine by me" Isabel said barely controlling her anger "Now the reason I'm am even talking to you is because Max has decided to help get you out of here" she added
"Maria and Brody they're here as well" Liz said smugly
"Fine, but once you're out of here Liz never try and contact him again is that understood" Isabel warned her former friend
"Yeah I understand" Liz nodded
"Good be ready" Isabel told her before she vanished as Liz really woke up
****
"Max are you sure this can't wait?" Laric asked as Max, Michael and Tess prepared to use the machine that would allow them to process humans on earth
"I'm sure Laric; it's too distracting having her calling out to me. If that was to happen whilst I was leading an attack it could be dangerous" Max explained his reasoning to his friend
"I understand" Laric nodded
"Ok lets go" Max said turning to the others
"Be careful some of you're powers won't work whilst you're controlling the humans" Laric told them as Tess handed her and Max's son over to Ava
****
Liz turned as the door to her cell suddenly opened and a guard stepped in, he however didn't point his weapon at her or even look threatened by her powers. She noticed two more guards step inside followed by Maria and Brody
"What's going on? Where are you taking us?" she demanded
"We're getting you out of here" the first guard told her
"What?" Liz asked stunned before she remembered what Isabel hold told her during her dream walk "Max?" she asked
"Right" the guard replied in a tight voice "Let's go now" he added as the second guard moved to flank her "We'll make it look like we're taking you to see the General, don't talk to any one not even each other" Max instructed her
"Fine" Liz replied with a frown as she walked over to join the others
They moved slowly through the base, all of them were uneasy as they passed the real guards. All it would take would be for someone like Carlson to turn up and they'd be finished. Liz could barely stop herself from launching an attack on all of them; she had guessed that Michael and most likely Tess were the other guards. She had already shoved her hand inside her pocket to stop anyone from seeing the power flares on her hand.
"Almost there" Michael said as they approached the double door that lead to the back of the base. Two MP's were guarding it both armed with standard issue army rifles.
"Stay here I'll deal with this" Max said beginning to move forward
"No Max, I can pull just enough power to mind warp them for a few minutes so we can pass" Tess said grabbing his arm as she closed her eyes to concentrate
As soon as the word min warp was spoken Liz knew without a doubt that Tess was the third guard, it took all of her control to stop herself from attacking her and blowing not only her escape but Maria's and Brody's as well. The guards remained where they were as they all passed, Max basically had to carry the guard Tess had processed out of the base
"We'll take you right to the edge of town in one of the jeeps, from there go where you want we'll wait a few moments before releasing the guards from our control ok" Max told them
"Sure" Maria said with a shrug
****
Laric watched over the motionless bodies of his friends as they went about their plan to release Liz and the others. Wrath and Zhan had been busy looking over the plans which included the locations of Ka'var's bases. He wondered what sort of plan would be brought together by the returned royal four and their doubles. With two Zhan's the chances of their success were greatly improved, the same goes for the two Wraths. Both had been great warriors before Ka'var had attacked and Lani had betrayed them.
****
"Ok this is it, you're on your own from here" Max told them
"Max, I maybe not of liked the fact that you lied to me since we met but I can kind of understand why you had to. At least I know the truth now" Brody said offering his hand to Max, Max smiled and shook it
"You take care Brody" Max replied
"Not that you deserve it for betraying us but thanks for getting us out of there" Maria nodded "And good luck taking your world back" she added
"Thanks just make sure you find someway to change your names like Jim and Kyle did, it's the only way you'll be safe" Michael told them
"Yeah we'll remember" Liz said with a shake of her head before starting up the jeep and taking off.
"Ungrateful Bitch" Michael said with a shake of his own head
"Leave it" Max told him "We're clear, let go of your control slowly" Max before the guard he had processed collapsed followed quickly by the other two.
****
Disclaimer: I do not own Roswell or any of the characters involved it, it belongs to Jason Katims.
Subject: Max/Tess
Notes: This is the sequel to my first Roswell Fic The End Time, a quick recap. Tess returned to earth with Max's son, the army begin searching for her. Max now remembering everything from his past life is now in love with Tess and begins helping her. When Liz finds out she snaps and betrays the alien to the army along with Maria in hopes that Alex's killer will be brought to justice. Max has Isabel contact their remaining duplicates to come and help them. Once they arrive they are stunned to find that Max's double Zhan is also alive thanks to Ava stealing one of the healing stones. Max hatches a plan to get them back to their home world and uses Brody to contact Laric so he can send a ship to collect them. He plans to defeat Ka'var and Lani (Isabel's double) and free his people. Valenti and Kyle escape Roswell and head for a new life. The aliens leave just as Liz and Maria arrive along with the army.
****
Liz and Maria looked into the sky as they heard the loud noise echo around them, they notice a white light just over the hill. Carlson quickly looked up as well and cursed as he saw the light
"Damn it get me the base now" he demanded to the nearest marine
"Yes sir" the man swallowed nervously as he handed his commander his radio
"This is Major Carlson, we need fighter support now, we have a hostile ship just north of Roswell" he all but bellowed into the radio
"Understood, E.T.A twenty minutes" came the reply
"Is it too late?" asked Maria
"Not yet" Carlson hissed
The ship was just lifting into the atmosphere as the jets came into view, before they could lock their weapons onto the alien ship it took off at an incredible speed leaving the earth jets far behind.
"This is Night Hawk, sorry Major the ships gone" one of the pilots reported
"Damn it" Carlson cursed as he led his men in search of a way around the creator the aliens created to stall them
"We failed, Alex's killer just went free" Liz all most screamed she had failed her friend and aloud his killer to escape punishment
"You never know Liz they may come back and we'll have another chance," Maria said trying to be comforting to her distraught friend
"I doubt it, they identities have been compromised, they wouldn't risk it" Carlson told them as he walked towards them
"They may be forced to risk it, their planet is in the hands of a dictator, the person responsible for their deaths the first time round" Liz said as looked back into the sky hoping she was right
"Well there's nothing left to do tonight, we might as well leave, I'll be coming to talk to you both tomorrow" Carlson said with a heavy sigh
"Fine'" Liz said as she turned and headed away from them, Maria followed close behind, neither noticed Carlson's dark glare as he watched them leave
Max sat holding his son next to Tess as she slept in the room they had been given; Isabel was in the room next to them with Michael and Wrath and next to them was Zhan and Ava. The entire crew seemed to be a little off balance at seeing two of each member of the royal four except Isabel but they quickly recovered their senses as they set course for Aral. Max felt a little better than the crew had taken on Human form so they didn't seem to Alien; he wondered what would happen once they reached Aral and then Antar itself. How would he handle seeing thousands of aliens, talking to them, interacting with them? He shook his head as he yawned, he was still trying to stay awake but he was failing and soon he closed his eyes and sank back into the bed that they were on. He was relived that these ships had something you could sleep on, the captain, Zaraon had said that because it was such a long journey between Aral and Earth it was necessary for them to be able to sleep for a few hours.
Zhan paced the room they were in somewhat nervously, he had thought about this for so long but he had never believed it would actually happen. He was going home, however to enjoy that experience he had to help defeat Ka'var and his followers and then there was Lani. His own sister had betrayed not once but twice, Max was lucky that Isabel had none of Valundra's memories. He swore that he; Ava and Wrath would make Lani pay for what she had done. Another thing that made him nervous was the fact that he could see his mother again, if she was still alive. He wondered how Max felt about that, he wondered if he had any plans on how to defeat Ka'var. This was a huge gamble but in the end that was what they had been sent to Earth for, so they could one day return and free their people.
Isabel could only thing about two things as she watched Michael and Wrath talk, the first thing was how her human parents were and Jessie, she couldn't stop thinking how he ad left them in the alley near the UFO centre. The second thing was what her real mother would be like once they got past Ka'var, Nicholas and Lani. When her thoughts came to Lani she began to feel really angry, she had a score to settle with her double, thanks to Lani her relationship with Max had almost been destroyed and she wanted her to pay for it. Then there was the fact that she not only corrupted Wrath but also murdered her brother's double. Although thanks to Ava both of those problems had been solved, thanks to stealing one of the healing stones she had revived Zhan and then they had managed to make Wrath see his error. 'What would happen when they arrived on Aral, how would the people treat them?' she wondered
Michael was somewhat surprised that he and his double were a lot alike; they were discussing how their lives on Earth had been. Both were full of pain and trouble. He had also asked about what Wrath remembered of their past life as well as their relationship with Valundra. Wrath remembered everything from their world, just like Max now did, he wanted so badly to remember as well that he was thinking about asking Max and Tess or even Wrath to help him begin to remember. He doubted Isabel would want to remember anything from her past life especially her betrayal of their family. According to Wrath they had a cousin on Aral who most likely was a member of the resistance, as he strongly doubted he would join Ka'var and the skins. Their cousin's name was Fal'car; he had been one of the royal guards just before Ka'var had attacked. Michael had asked how Wrath knew he was still alive and he just shrugged and said he hoped he was still alive.
Major Carlson stormed into his office; his men were all trying to avoid him and his temper. Unfortunately not all of them had been successful and had to bare the full extent of his anger. They had just lost the chance to capture and study eight aliens; Liz and Maria had confirmed four of them as very hostile. The fact that they had out smarted him had really annoyed him; the one who had crashed four nights ago had killed ten of their best scientists and five marines. If Liz had been right and they were forced to return he hoped he would have the chance to capture them again, he vowed he would not fail again.
Liz had decided to sleep over at Maria's so they could talk about what had happened in the last twenty four hours, their lives had been turned upside down again except this time they had betrayed the aliens instead of helping them. Both knew it had been the right choose from their point of view, by aiding Tess they had betrayed them all especially Alex's memory. Liz was still having trouble getting over the way Max had told their relationship was dead, that he was no longer just Max Evans he was now also Zhan King of Antar and husband to Ava seen as that was Tess's real name. Maria had been having a lot of trouble with Michael so it wasn't having too much of an emotional effect on her yet. But finally she could no longer hold back her emotions and she began to cry as Maria quickly gathered her in a hug.
Jim Valenti slowly pulled the car into a motel car park and shut off the engine, they had been driving for nearly five hours none stop and Kyle had fallen asleep. He wondered how Max and the others were doing now, somewhere out they're on an alien ship, then he wondered how his father would of coped with this situation. He shook his head with a smile knowing they would be safe, Max would do everything to ensure it. For him and Kyle now it was over, no more running and hiding from the FBI or the army. They were going to visit a friend of his who would create them new identities and make it look like Jim and Kyle Valenti were dead. Not even Liz and Maria would know they were still alive.
Max woke to find Tess holding their son and watching him with an intense and loving gaze, he smiled as the memory of the first time they made love on earth came back to him. As much as it had been unexpected and the fact that he was under great stress at the time they had both been willing participants.
"Hey" Tess said leaning down and giving him a quick kiss on the lips but Max instantly reached up and deepened it for a few seconds before letting her go
"Hey" he finally returned
"The Captain called a few minutes ago, he told me to tell you we're almost there," Tess told him smiling Max nodded as he sat up properly and yawned, he realised now he would have a long day planning how to retake Antar with as few casualties as possible, however his memory of Ka'var's uprising left him with little doubt that many would die
"Max?" Tess asked concerned at Max's silence
"I'm fine, we'd better get everyone together, we're got a lot to plan" Max said with a smile
"I know, but can we just lay here for a while?" she asked hesitantly
"Sure" he said placing a hand around and guiding her to him, she lay her head against his chest as she held their son, Max used his other hand to hold his son's hand
Zhan was sleeping next to Ava who was now wide awake with fear, she had wanted to go hoe for so long but now they faced a hard fight to free their planet and their people and what scared her most was the fact that she could loose Zhan. He would be helping Max lead the fight and she feared his noble and fierce personality would get him killed especially if he faced Nicholas or Ka'var himself. She would never be able to live without Zhan; she loved him with everything she was. And she now knew that Zhan loved her just as much, since she had revived him he had made her fully aware of just how much he loved her. She was glad Max had finally realised he loved Tess even though it had cost him Liz's friendship, it was after all what was supposed to happen what was destined to happen. Zhan finally began to stir and she smiled as he sub consciously pulled her closer, his eyes finally opened and focused on her, she quickly hid her fear before he could see it.
The Captain of the vessel made his way to Max's chamber with his second in command, he had felt very lucky and honoured when Laric had chosen him to bring back the royal four, and their doubles. He couldn't wait for the war against Ka'var to begin, Ka'var was responsible for the death of his sister during the uprising and he wanted him to pay and soon he would have that revenge. Their king had finally returned and the fact that there were now two of them made him believe it increased their chances of success. His second in command shared this view, as he had lost not only a sister but his father and mother as well, they had grown very close since the uprising. And now they would fight side by side for the fate of the world.
Max was just finishing getting dressed when the Captain and his second entered, Tess was already dressed and was now feeding the baby the last of the milk they had taken from The UFO centre
"Your Highness" both aliens greeted him
Max just nodded his head not really knowing what else to do, he had the memories of been a king but actually been one was a hole different thing
"We are now only three hours away from Aral," the captain reported
"Good, is there somewhere me and the others can plan our attack against Ka'var?" Max asked
"Of course highness" the captain nodded "We were ordered to bring up maps and all other relevant data for you to use by Laric," he added
"Great where did you set it up?" Max asked
"In the secondary bridge room, I will take you there now, my second will collect the other royal members and bring them to join you" the captain answered
Max nodded as Tess came over holding their now sleeping son; the captain nodded to her and then began to walk out of the room. Max and Tess followed him as they watched the captain's second entering Zhan and Ava's chamber first. They both guessed it was because they were the doubles of themselves. They entered a huge chamber will a lot of controls and screens, each had information running through them. Max noticed it was in the same language the book had been in, luckily now he remembered how to read it. He then noticed the table in the middle of the room where maps and other material were laid out. As he and Tess moved over to the table Zhan and Ava entered the chamber followed by Wrath, Michael and Isabel. The captain's second then entered
"These are maps of both Aral and Antar, including Ka'var's military forces and the palace where he and Valundra stay" the captain informed them
"Where is our mother kept?" Zhan asked
"She is kept in the palace, Ka'var dare not kill her. If he did there would be more of our people joining the resistance," the captain answered
"We have to make sure we reach the palace before Ka'var can harm her" Zhan said to Max, his gaze was full of fire
"Agreed" Max nodded, he didn't want to put his mothers life in danger, and somehow they had to reach the palace just as the fight began if possible
"That will be hard your highness" the captain said with a frown
"I'm sure there is a way Maxwell" Michael said confidently
"Well lets start going through this information, then we come up with a plan" Max said, the others all nodded, the captain and his second left them to their work.
Max scanned the maps for the hundredth time trying to find the quickest route to the palace, but so far it seemed that at the first sign of trouble Ka'var's forces would manage to cut of all charges to the palace. That meant Ka'var would have time to either kill his mother or use her as a hostage when the rebels arrived. Wrath and Michael were going over the information on Ka'var's forces, whilst Isabel, Ava and Tess were going through the information on the planet themselves. Zhan was next to him trying to see the way to the palace along side him. They all were quite tired and they were only an hour away from Aral according to the captain, and so far they hadn't manage to find a decent plan to over throw Ka'var, not without wide spread bloodshed.
"Anything?" Zhan asked rubbing his neck
"Nothing yet, what we need is the location of the rebel bases, especially the ones on Antar" Max replied
"The captain said only Laric would give us that information," Zhan reminded him
"I know but we need it now" Max said somewhat angry
"Maybe you could try ordering them to give it to us" Tess said as she walked over followed by Ava and Isabel
"I don't want to push it, I'm just getting used to been here" Max said with a shake of his head
"Then maybe I should try, I am you, you are me and we are both king" Zhan said with a smile
"We have to let him try Maxwell, if we want to come up with a good enough plan to overthrow Ka'var without to much bloodshed then we need all relevant information" Michael told him as he and his double joined the discussion
"Okay" Max nodded at his double "Don't be do demanding okay" he warned him
"No problem" Zhan smiled and then headed for the bridge
"You're worried about what Nicholas said during the summit aren't you Max, about your predecessor making bad decisions?" Tess asked
"I don't want to alienate them by been too demanding or arrogant" Max explained
"It'll be okay Max" Isabel told him, he managed to give her a smile
Zhan walked onto the bridge for the first time since they had boarded the ship, the captain and his second spotted him and walked over to him
"Is there a problem?" the captain asked
The fact that the captain hadn't addressed him as highness as he did Max was beginning to annoy him. He was also Zhan, and that meant he also had a right to the throne of Antar. He quickly shook his head and cleared his thoughts
"We need the information on the location of the rebel bases on Antar and we need them now" Zhan answered
"I already informed his highness that only Laric can give you that information" the captain shot back
"Then I am ordering you to give us the information," Zhan told him with a frown
"You are not the King" the captain responded
"But I am, I am Zhan just as much as Max is" Zhan replied angrily
"He was certified by the emissary during the summit you were not" the captain told him
"We need this information to plan the attack," he explained
"I am sorry, but only Laric and the other leaders have that information," the captain told him
Zhan sighed, why hadn't they just told them that in the first place instead of making it seem that they had it but only Laric would give it to the. He turned and made his way of the bridge, he decided to talk to Max about the highness issue, it didn't mind not been king but the fact that their people didn't see him as king was very annoying. He had the right just like Max did.
Carlson walked into the crash down followed by two of his best men; he noticed Liz and Maria sitting at one of the tables. Both looked tired but he didn't care, he had run ragged by General Parker for his failure to capture the aliens and now he wanted to take his anger out on someone and he chosen Liz and Maria for that purpose. He waked over and sat in front of them, his glared at the two girls who just stared at him
"So what do you want, I thought it was over?" Liz asked rubbing her eyes
"I want to know why they escaped, I want to know if you were secretly helping them" Carlson sneered as he spoke his anger over taking his common sense
"No we did not," Liz almost shouted before realising that would attract her parent's attention
"Yeah well I'm under orders to find out why the aliens escaped and that means I have to question you all over again and Mr.Davis as well," Carlson told them
"Why would we help the bitch who killed our friend?" Liz demanded
"Maybe you were lying about him been killed by the female alien, according to the official police report he was in a car accident and they suspected it may have been suicide" Carlson replied
"He did not commit suicide," Liz said through clenched teeth
"We'll see, I have ordered a new investigation into it, my men here will escort you to the base whilst I collect Mr.Davis" Carlson informed them
"What we have work to do here," Maria argued
"Not until I have my answers" Carlson told them standing up and walking out of the shop, Liz and Maria were flanked by the two guards and forced to exit the shop.
"I can't believe this" Liz hissed her anger beginning to get the better of her
"Liz" Maria warned her friend knowing that when she got angry her powers flared and in this company that would be very bad
Zhan re-entered the secondary bridge room a bit more carm now, he walked to the table where Max was discussion Ka'var's forces strength and weaknesses.
"Well how did it go?" Wrath asked
"Well thanks to them been a little more clear, they can't give us the information because they don't have it here, only Laric and the other leaders of the resistance has the information" Zhan told them
"Great" Max sighed somewhat annoyed
"So what now Max" Ava asked her lovers double
"We use what we have here and come up with what we can, like how to take Ka'var's bases and things like that" Max answered trying to stop himself yawing
"Well we'd better get started, we only have at least a half hour left before we arrive on Aral" Zhan said with a nod
Liz paced the room she and Maria were been kept in; she was having trouble keeping her anger under control. If she lost it now inside the army base she would be in deep trouble especially with Carlson keeping a close eye on them. If he found out she had powers like Max and the others he would use her to keep his reputation secured and make up for allowing Max and the others to escape.
"How long do you think they're going to keep us here?" Maria asked
"I don't know, but I can't keep carm much longer" Liz answered leaning against the wall
"You have to Liz or we are going to be a lot more trouble" Maria warned her
"I know, this is all that bitch's fault" Liz seethed
"Liz, you're going to blow up if you think about her," Maria said sitting down on a near by bed
Liz just nodded and turned away from her friend and tried to concentrate on something more relaxing that Tess and Max just as the door to the room opened and Carlson walked in flanked by three marines
"I hope you feel a bit more relaxed now," Carlson said with false concern
"Yeah we feel so much better" Maria said sarcastically
"Good follow me" Carlson ordered them as he turned and left, the guards stayed until Liz and Maria followed him reluctantly
"Where are we going now?" Liz demanded
"My superior General Parker wants to question you, Maria and Mr.Davis who is already in his office" Carlson replied
"Great" Liz hissed quietly
Zhan motioned for Max to follow him into the hallway whilst they took a break for planning their attack; he had decided to see if Max could get him the recognition he deserved
"What's wrong?" Max asked
"Have you noticed that this crew refer to you as your highness but not me?" Zhan asked
"Not really, I take it you want the same recognition as you are also the reincarnation of the former king of Antar?" Max guessed
"Yes, it's not that I want to be king after all this but I do deserve to be addresses properly as I am Zhan" Zhan explained
"I'll see what I can do, but it may have to do with the fact that they see you as the secondary set of the royal four" Max told him
"I know that, Wrath explained that was how our set we're viewed but still I am you and as a reincarnation of their former king I deserve to be addressed as such" Zhan replied
"But you don't want to be king once this is all over?" Max asked
"No, plus you and Tess have a stronger claim as you have an heir" Zhan said with smile
"I'll have a talk with them once we get to Aral, for now we'd better get back to planning our assault on Ka'var" Max assured his double
"Razor" Zhan smiled as he followed Max back into the room
General Parker was seated in front of his desk as Major Carlson led Liz and Maria into his office; Brody was already sitting on a chair facing him. Liz and Maria both noticed his was nervous and confused, he smiled somewhat at seeing them but it quickly vanished.
"Sit down" Parker commanded, they did as ordered
Major Carlson stayed behind them with one his men, Liz had managed to carm herself down during their walk but she knew she wouldn't last long if pushed especially by Carlson himself.
"I want to know why those aliens escaped?" Parker commanded
"We don't know, we did everything we could to help you capture them" Maria replied
"So you say, but Major Carlson seems to think you were actually helping them and diverting my men in their hunt" Parker told them leaning back into his chair
"Major Carlson is mistaken" Liz told him sternly
"We'll see, you're both going to have a lie detector test, if it's positive you will be under arrest for lying to the United States military. If it's negative I will allow you to you leave is that understood?" he told them, they both just nodded
"What about me?" Brody asked
"We are confused how you remember none of the events Major Carlson has reported you were part of, now according to Miss Parker there you can be processed by an alien named Laric if this is the case then you could be a threat" Parker answered
"I doubt Laric would need to process Brody ever again as Max and the others have left the planet, that was the only reason why he took Brody's body" Liz said hoping to spare Brody any trouble. She knew if they did all get out of this they would have to answer a lot of questions that Brody would no doubt have.
Max walked onto the bridge with Tess by his side; they held hands and stayed in close contact. Ava and Zhan were looking after their son whilst they talked with the captain and his second. He had decided to sort the situation with Zhan out now as well as a few other things. The captain noticed them and quickly walked over to them and bowed his head slightly
"Is there a problem highness?" the captain asked as his second joined them
"No we just need to speak with you about a few things" Max replied
"Of course" the captain nodded and led them to a room just next to the bridge, it was prity small compared to most of the rooms but it had a table and a few chairs in it.
"This is where I rest, I need to be close to the bridge in case of an emergency" the captain explained
"I understand" Max said looking around the room and taking in every detail
"What is it you wish to discuss highness?" the captain inquired as he sat in the tallest of the chairs
"First thing is my double" Max told him
"What about him?" the captain asked with a frown
"Well he and I have both noticed how you refer to me as highness and yet you do not do so witb him, how come?" Max told him
"There can only be one king highness, if there was two then it could cause another rebellion" the captain replied
"True but my double has my intent on been king after all this, but he does have the right to be addressed as highness as well as he is the reincarnation of your king as much as I am" Max explained to him
"So you wish us to address him as highness as well if that correct?" the captain asked
"Yes I do, like I said we both have the right to the title however he has no wish to rule" Max nodded
"Very well highness" the captain nodded
"Also I would to know what will happen once we reach Aral?" Max asked
"Laric will meet us at Aral along with some of the rebellion's greatest fighters" the captain explained "They will take you to Antar under the cover on a stolen ship which has Ka'var's markings on it" the captain added
"That way it will not be stopped or searched at the security check points" the captain's second finally spoke
"I see, so we'll finally meet Laric face to face," Tess said with a smile knowing Max had wanted to talk with Laric since his memory had returned
"Is that all highness?" the captain asked standing
"Yes thank you" Max nodded and led Tess out of the small room and back towards the secondary bridge where the others were.
Liz was once pacing across the room she and Maria had been locked in, however Maria wasn't here this time to keep her carm. She was in another room having the lie detector test, her anger at Tess, Max and everything to do with the hybrids were beginning to get to her. She was going to loose soon if they didn't get out of here fast enough, the door suddenly opened and Brody was pushed into it. Liz groaned as she knew she would now be hounded by Brody for what he had learned in General Parker's office, especially about him been processed by Laric.
"Liz" Brody said with a nod
"How you doing Brody?" she asked hoping to keep the conversation off anything to do with aliens, however her luck had obviously deserted her as Brody quickly began to asked her to explain what she had said in the general's office
"Well Liz?" Brody asked as she tried to avoid looking into his eyes
"Brody" Liz began trying to make up some sort of lie of deflection but Brody would not listen
"I want an explanation now Liz" he told her his anger was in full swing and she became somewhat nervous
"Okay Brody, you better sit down," she said with a shake of her head, knowing it was useless to lie now as Max and the others had left. No harm could come from telling Brody the truth now, and it wasn't like she owed Max and the others anything anymore. Brody sat on one of the beds but his eyes never left her, it was as if he was watching for signs of deceit
"Max, Isabel, Tess, Michael and the people who look like them are alien hybrids" Liz started simply
"Excuse me?" Brody asked shocked "Are you telling me I was close to at least seven aliens and no one told me?" he asked angrily
"Yes, neither me or Maria could tell you Brody, it was a secret" Liz told him
"I don't believe it, Max was an alien," he said and it seemed to Liz he was trying to convince himself rather than asking her to clarify it
"Yes, they've been hiding in Roswell since they came here" Liz told him "the signal you found that attracted you here was sent out by Max and the others when they activated two alien communicators" she added
"I see, so that also why Max seems so interested in that device I found?" Brody asked
"Yes, it's a device that stops them from using their powers, once you were electrocuted and it allowed you to access the memories of the alien who uses your body to communicate with them, so you could use the device yourself" Liz informed him
"So I have the memories of some alien in my head, how come I could never access them until I got electrocuted as you say?" Brody asked
"I don't know, Laric must have placed some sort of shield around them making sure you'd never uncover them," Liz suggested
"Max knew this alien was using my body, why didn't he tell me, at least then I could make sense out of why I kept thinking I'd been abducted?" Brody said his anger back
"I don't think Max wanted to involve you, everyone who got involved paid a price especially Alex" Liz said her own anger flaring as she remembered her dead friend
"Wasn't he killed in a car accident?" Brody asked confused
"No he was killed by Tess" Liz said her anger beginning to get the better of her
"Why?" Brody asked
"Because she is a cold hearted bitch" Liz spat her powers suddenly flaring knocking two of the near by beds screeching across the room just as Major Carlson walked into the room next followed by Maria and two guards
"Oh no" Maria said as she realised Carlson had seen Liz using her powers, Brody seems shocked as was slowly backing away from her
"You're one of them, guards" Carlson roared, the two guards quickly flanked Liz who was just recovering from her power flare and slowly realised her situation had become much worse
Max stood on the bridge next to Tess as she held their son; Zhan and Ava were next to them, Isabel was behind them long with Michael and Wrath as the captain brought the ship down onto Aral's landing platform. It surprised Max that they could land such a big ship on the planet itself. He was very nervous about meeting Laric face to face, but also very excited about it. He placed his arm around Tess and brought her closer causing her to look at him and give him a loving smile that he returned
"I can't believe it, we're on another planet" Isabel said quietly
"I know, it's amazing" Max said glancing at his sister
"We're not just on another planet guys, we're almost home" Wrath added smiling
"Yeah but we're far from home, we still have to get rid of Ka'var and Lani and the rest of their followers" Zhan added fiercely
"I know, but at least we're one step closer to home" Ava said kissing Zhan on the cheek quickly, he smiled and took his hand in his and gave it a kiss in return
"You're right," he told Ava who just smiled at him
"Well Maxwell now the real struggle begins" Michael told him
"Yeah but we're together and that makes us stronger than anything" Max said giving each of his friends and his wife a smile
"United we will win right Max?" Tess asked
"Yes we will win," he said giving her a confident smile "We have to," he added silently
"Highness we have completed landing, I will escort you to the rear entrance where Laric will be waiting for you" the captain told him
"Thanks, and thanks for coming to get us" Max told the captain giving him a smile
"The honour was ours highness, we had brought the royal family back to us so they can lead us to final victory against Ka'var and finally our planet will be free again" the captain told him as he faced the entire group, each of them just smiled and followed the captain of the bridge.
Liz was now standing in a cell; five guards were posted in front of her door in case she tried to escape. Maria and Brody were in cells just across from her, Maria was scared and fearful as what would happen however Brody was more confused than anything else. Liz herself couldn't stop berating herself for her slip in control, now her life was forfeit. She was sure of it, they now knew she had alien powers just like Max and the others and she guessed her next destination was the white room and that she feared more than anything.
"Liz?" Brody's voice broke through her thoughts
"What?" she asked
"I want to know what just happened? How did you do that?" he asked ignoring the guards cold glare
"I don't know" Liz lied hoping to trick her way out of this mess
"I doubt that" Carlson's voice was heard, they each looked out of their cells and see the Major standing near the first guard
"I really didn't know I could do that," Liz protested
"Hey maybe it's a side effect of been healed by the aliens Liz, I mean you've studied science maybe their powers have special effects on humans" Maria suggested going along with Liz's idea knowing what she was trying to do
"That is a possibility, we'll find out soon enough" Carlson said with a cold smile before walking away. The smile sent shivers up Liz's spine
Max followed closely behind the captain with his hand over Tess's shoulder whilst she carried their son; behind them were Zhan, Ava and Isabel, Michael and Wrath brought up the rear. They walked towards a tall building, which was built in what looked like silver crystal, and the windows seem see-through. They entered the building and were shocked to see a replica of Brody standing near the corner
"Brody?" Max asked forgetting in his surprise how the crew of the ship had taken on human form to make them feel more at home, and it didn't accrue to him that Laric would do the same
"No it's me Laric" the replica replied with a frown surprising Max
"Oh sorry, I just forgot to suspect something like this" Max explained
"No problem, we' don't have much time, thank you Captain Ja'nar" Laric said
The captain nodded and then bowed to Max and the others and then returned to his ship without a second glance
"I trust your trip was uneventful?" Laric asked
"Yeah no problems, we did a bit of work on planning our attack on Ka'var" Max replied
"First each of you take one of these, they are already active so we don't need to explain they will work" Laric told them
"What do they do?" Max inquired as he was handed a rectangle like device much like the device Brody had acquired that stopped them from using their powers. He had forgotten it's name for now, there was a few differences such as a red crystal in the centre and two purple lights on it
"They will make you appear just like us, we can't have you walking around Aral or Antar looking like humans, Ka'var would know instantly something was wrong if he got a report stating humans were on this planet" Laric explained to them
"Cool" Michael said with a smile
"Also do not talk to anyone outside the people here okay?" Laric told them
"Understood" Max nodded, as did the others
"Okay lets go" Laric said as he headed for the exit, Max and the others followed quickly as Laric's companions took up the rear
Liz was escorted towards a nearby building but as soon as she was inside, Liz knew she was about to become some sort of experiment. She closed her eyes and suddenly cried out in her mind for Max's help.
Max almost stopped walking as he heard what sounded like Liz crying out for help; Tess looked at him strangely as he shook his head
"What's wrong?" she asked
"I just, it sounded like Liz was calling out for help" Max answered
"You mean she used her powers to contact you like Isabel can?" Tess asked confused
"Yes, it's possible she copied the ability when Isabel used her to warn me about Lani the last time we met our doubles" Max nodded
"Maybe she's trying to trick you" Michael said from behind them
"Well we can't do anything anyway, we're on another planet" Isabel reminded them
"We'll talk later, it's possible she'll try again" Max told them
Tess didn't look too happy about this new development but Max gave her a warm smile and quickly leant down and gave her a quick kiss "Don't worry Tess I'm not going to leave you or our son" he told her, she smiled at him and nodded
Liz sat dejectedly in her cell; Carlson who had watched the entire thing with a cold smile had subjected her to hours of tests. Her body felt like it had been turned inside out, all she wanted to do was sleep but she feared to close eyes in case they came for her again. Since they had taken her she had heard a small voice inside her head calling out for Max that annoyed her and filled her with anger. Why should she trust him to help now after he had already betrayed her once before, hell he most likely thought it would be funny seeing her like this.
Max sat in what he could describe as an alien version of a van except it flew instead of drove; Tess was asleep next to him whilst Isabel held Zhan. Max was happy his sister had something else to think about than why Jessie had run away at the UFO centre and what their real mother would think of her once she learned the truth. Across from them were Zhan and Ava who were talking quietly; about what Max could not guess but form the smile of their faces he guessed it was something good. Michael and Wrath were next to two of Laric's men at the back, they were busy talking strategy which did not surprise him as he knew Michael had waited for this day since he came out of the pods and he also knew Wrath had wanted nothing more than to go home which is how Lani had corrupted him, she had used his one weakness against him.
"So where are we going Laric?" he asked as he looked at Laric who sat next to the driver
"To one of our small hidden ports, from there we'll take a small fighter to Antar" Laric replied
"How long will the trip take?" he inquired
"If we don't run into any trouble with Ka'var's forces then about three hours" Laric answered
"Then what?" Isabel asked joining in the conversation
"We will take you to one of bases and then that's where you will take over, from there it's all up to you" Laric told them with a smile
Max and Isabel shared a glance at the prospect that the entire planet and it's neighbours future all rested on what they would do next. They both feared they'd make a mistake and yet they knew they could not afford to think like that. Max closed his eyes and tried to sleep only to hear Liz's voice once again asking for his voice although it was still laced with anger and betrayal.
"Max?" Tess yawned
"I'm here love," he said kissing her on the top of her head "What is it?" he asked
"Nothing" she replied taking his hand in hers and kissing it gently "Are we there yet?" she asked
"No, go back to sleep, we're going to need all the sleep we can" he told her, she smiled at him and rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes, Max rested his own head on hers and both soon drifted of to sleep not noticing Laric's wide smile at the sight nor Isabel's.
Brody fumed over what was happening to him at the moment, and yet none of it had really been his fault. According to the Major and Liz he could be taken over by an alien called Laric. Not just that that most of the people he had known here had been alien hybrids, Max and the others had all lied to him and he was very annoyed at that. He had trusted Max and he had betrayed that trust, the only thing that actually made him happy was the fact that he now new his abductions were real that his belief in aliens was justified.
Max stepped into the small fighter first; with Liz's Constance sending for help he was feeling somewhat alert. He knew Tess was growing concerned about how Liz had managed to get through to him with all that had happened and yet he knew she trusted him not to run back to her. That pleased him greatly as he didn't want anything to come between them; he sat down near the pilot's chair and watched as the others came aboard. Tess sat next to him feeding their son something Laric had given them; Michael sat across from them along with Isabel whilst Zhan, Ava and Wrath sat near the exit. Laric and one of his companions sat in the front of the craft, and began preparing the ship for their journey.
"Hopefully we will not run into any problems, but if we do strap yourselves in using the harnesses behind your seats" Laric told them, they all nodded They all watched as the craft descended upwards and away from Aral, as soon as it breached the atmosphere they all were amazed at the view of the stars
"Razor" Wrath said with wide eyes and a huge smile
"We're finally going home," Zhan said hugging Ava to him who was almost in tears at the prospect
Max looked into Tess's eyes and saw the happiness she was feeling at what was about to happen, they were going home and once they dealt with Ka'var and Lani and the other skins they would be free form the endless struggles and fear. But for Max one thing remained in him mind what was he to do about Liz, should he leave her in the army's hands or help her somehow. The only thing he knew for now was that freeing his people had to come first and so he hardened his heart and pushed his human side away. He had to be focused and only Zhan could do that, Max was too vulnerable to emotions and he could easily get side tracked he had to keep hold of the part of him that was Zhan the king of Antar or else all would fail.
Liz woke to find Maria and Brody now in the same cell as her; Maria's face was full of concern whilst Brody's showed only a little concern and the rest was anger. She could understand that, they had lied to him for two years since he had arrived and now he knew that he had the right to feel betrayed.
"Hey you okay Liz?" Maria asked
"Yeah, except for the huge headache I have" Liz replied as she slowly sat up and leaned against the wall
"So Liz, are you finally going to tell me the truth?" Brody asked "Later Brody, I don't think I'm up to it" Liz replied as a wave of hunger and pain shot through her
"I don't care Liz, you've lied to me for two years, why should I trust what you say now" Brody demanded
"Brody?" Maria asked somewhat startled at his response
"I'm sorry Maria but you knew as well didn't you?" he said finally looking at her Maria bowed her head as a bit of guilt rose up in her, she nodded in answer to Brody's question; his anger seemed to increase with Maria's conformation "I want the full story now beginning with this alien who can process me" he told them both with a stern glare
"Laric is an alien who lives on Max's home planet called Antar, they process humans so they can talk to or do anything else on Earth, Laric uses you for this. We find this out when Max went to New York to attend an alien summit if you will, Max didn't tell you because he didn't want to endanger you" Liz told him
"Why would finally knowing why I believed I had been abducted have endangered me?" he asked hotly
"If you had accidentally told the wrong person or if the army had found out then you would have been forced to hide or run just like we have been since finding out about Max and the others" Liz answered
"So what are Max and the others exactly?" Brody asked some of his anger dying as he became more curious
"They're hybrids, part alien part human, they were the royal four of their planet but they were killed in a rebellion led by an alien called Ka'var. They DNA was mixed with human DNA in the hoped they would be reborn. They were sent to earth but their ship crashed in 1947, however their pods were rescued thanks to the help of an army officer called Hal Carver. One set was taken to a chamber in Pullman's ranch and the second was set to L.A, I don't know why exactly. Each set had a guardian, the second's set guardian became a movie director as he came to like human life whilst Nasedo the first set's guardian stayed and watched them until he was forced to leave when he was almost discovered. He returned three years ago and he then brought Tess to Roswell to join with Max, Isabel and Michael and complete the set" Liz informed him
"Why wasn't she with them anyway?" Brody asked
"I think she didn't come out of her pod at the same time as Max and the others and so they were separated" Liz told him
"So is their any relation between them?" Brody asked not noticing the dark look from Liz or the grown from Maria
"Yes, Max and Isabel are brother and sister, Michael is Isabel's fiancée and Tess is Max's wife" Liz said the last part full of venom and her hand flashed green, Brody noticed it straight away
"Why did your hand just flash green?" Brody asked
"When Max saved my life somehow he changed me and I now have some powers, unfortunately I can't really control them" Liz answered hoping they're weren't any camera's or recorders in the cell
"So are you still human or now like them part alien?" Brody inquired
"I'm still human, I just have certain powers" Liz replied instantly
"So who is Laric?" Brody said as he sat down across from them
"He is Zhan's best friend, and before you ask Zhan is Max's real name" Liz said somewhat angrily
"I see and that's why he used me to contact Max because I am close to him?" Brody mused
"Sort of" Liz nodded
Ava looked to where Max was now holding his son whilst Tess slept, and she imagined what it would be like if her and Zhan had a child as well. She wondered if he would even want a son or daughter, she turned to look at her husband and noticed he was watching his double as well
"Zhan?" she said quietly
"Yes" he answered looking at her fondly
"After this is all over do you" she trailed of unable to complete the sentence, Zhan just smiled and nodded his head
"Yes I would love to have a child with you" he told her kissing her gently, when he pulled away there were tears in her eyes as he pulled her closer and wrapped her into his arms
Wrath just smiled at his friends actions and he wished Lani hadn't betrayed them, he had loved her fully and she had destroyed them all in their past life. And then she had done it again, at least this time they had survived and he had managed to repair the damage Lani had caused between him and Zhan and Ava. He couldn't wait to face her so he could make her pay for all the blood that was on her hands. He was somewhat curious to see what would happen between his double and Isabel now that they were no longer on earth and the fact that Isabel's human husband had deserted her just as Max came up with the plan to get them home.
Isabel tried to stay awake buy she couldn't fight to tiredness she felt, slowly her eyes closed and she laid her head on Michael's shoulder as if by instinct her brought a hand across her shoulder and brought her closer. Max noticed she movement and just smiled somewhat as he looked lovely at his wife who now slept in his lap whilst he held their son. He vowed they would succeed in defeating Ka'var and he would do anything necessary even give up his life to free his people and his family.
Liz sat sorely in the cell keeping very quite; she was no longer in the mood to answer Brody's questions. At the moment Maria was keeping him busy, but she knew he would start asking her questions again because he still didn't understand everything that had happened. Carlson kept making her uneasy by looking through the opening at her; the look in his eyes was very unnerving. It was like he was waiting for her to make a mistake so he could start testing on her again. She believed Max was aware of her situation due to some part of her calling out to him using some unknown part of her powers, she guessed it was like Isabel's mind calling but less powerful. She wondered if he would do anything to help them out of this, if he would risk coming back to at least free them. She doubted it seen as she had betrayed him.
"This is Antar" Laric said as they stepped out of the craft, the journey had been somewhat long but it had given them all time to rest up and prepare themselves for what lay ahead.
"It's beautiful," Isabel said in awe
"I never imagined it would be this wonderful" Max said as he looked around at the reddish sky and the two moons visible. The few buildings he could see were very big and quite fantastic. The light that reflected of it gave the buildings an emerald glow. Wrath and Michael stood side-by-side looking around with the same surprised look on their faces neither willing to say anything. Zhan and Ava stood near Tess who was holding baby Zhan close to her; each had a look of awe and wonder on their faces.
"We have to hurry, we can't afford to be stopped by any of Ka'var's forces, we have to reach the nearest safe base as quickly as possible" Laric informed them with a smile. Max nodded and indicated for Laric to lead on, he waited until Tess moved closer to him and then put his arm around her and followed Laric. Tess smiled peacefully as for the first time since finding Max and the others on Earth she felt she belonged.
Isabel was totally fascinated by the planet she now found herself on; she had never believed this place would be so beautiful; she began to forget her fears about Jessie and how her parents were coping. All she wanted to do now was met her real mother, she had the longing since they had activated the orbs and received the message from her. Michael was almost in shock at finally been here, back home where they belonged. And soon they would be involved in a fight to free this place for the rule of the person responsible for their deaths and exile from their home world when they were resurrected in a sense.
Liz looked up as Carlson walked back towards the cell, this time he had three guards with him. She shivered knowing she was going to be tested again; she noticed Maria and Brody had also noticed.
"The general wishes to speak to you Miss Parker, lets go" Carlson said his voice very cold
Liz stood up and dejectedly exited the cell not once looking at either her friend or Brody, she dreaded what would happen to her next, especially with the way Carlson was acting towards her.
Max tried to ignore the cries he heard inside his head from Liz but he couldn't she was in trouble and no matter what had happened between them he still owed her for all the times she had helped him and the others including Tess. He decided they had to do something about it now before they got into the fight against Ka'var. He turned to the others and motioned them to gather round.
"We've got a problem" he told them
One look at Max told Tess all she needed to know, Liz was still crying out for help and Max wanted to do something about it. Max looked at her and gave her a reassuring smile letting her know he wasn't going anywhere.
"What is it Max?" Isabel asked
"Liz is in trouble, she keeps crying out for help it's become quite distracting to me" he told them
"She deserves to be in shit for what she did to us" Michael hissed
"Maybe, I'm not arguing that point. What I'm saying is until we do something about I'm going to be distracted" he answered
"But we're on another planet Max what can we do?" Ava asked confused
"We can use whatever device Laric used to talk to us on earth to process someone on earth and help her out" Max answered quickly
"Max are you sure it's worth the risk?" Zhan asked worried about anything delaying their attack against Ka'var
"I'm sure, I can't concentrate when she keeps crying out for help I hear it every time I can't bloke it out" Max told them
"Ok Max, we'll talk to Laric once we're at the base then we deal with Liz and then we deal with Ka'var agreed" Tess said knowing the human side of Max would not allow him to leave Liz in danger not after everything they had gone through before she had returned. As much as she wished his connection to Liz was severed the way he responded to Liz's predicament by wanting to help made her remember just how like Zhan Max was.
"Agreed" Isabel nodded
"I'm not to sure how Laric will react to this Max but I guess we still owe them, for all the times they helped save our arses right?" Michael asked
"Right" Max agreed
"If Laric agrees, whilst you're helping Liz me and Wrath will go through the plans of Ka'var's bases and try and come up with a fast root from the base to the palace ok" Zhan informed them
"Good idea" Max said with a smile
****
Liz woke sluggishly from whatever had knocked her out; her talk with General Parker had turned into another interrogation session only then times as worse as the last one.
"Good you're awake" Isabel said walking towards her
"Isabel what in the hell, how did you get here?" she asked confused
"I'm not here, I'm dream walking you" Isabel replied with a frown
"Why? I betrayed you?" Liz asked standing up
"Because you keep crying out to Max for help, it's distracting him from dealing with Ka'var. He is about to lead a war against him to reclaim our world but he can't do that if he is distracted" Isabel explained hotly
"So, it's his fault I'm here. He betrayed me and the others for that bitch" Liz spat
"Tess is Max's wife Liz, you knew that ever since we got that message from our mother" Isabel told her own anger at Liz's actions beginning to boil over " Max refused to believe it and that caused Tess to follow Nasedo's plans for turning us over to Ka'var. That is why she betrayed us, she didn't mean to kill Alex even I know that now. It was an accident, but one that could have been avoided by all of us. She continued "Max got his memories back after that power outing, he couldn't help realising his true feelings for Tess he had to follow his heart" she finished
"How can you stand there and say it was an accident, Alex loved you he did everything for you" Liz shouted
"I know, but it's the truth Liz. Tess did not mean to kill Alex. You can choose not to believe it that's fine by me" Isabel said barely controlling her anger "Now the reason I'm am even talking to you is because Max has decided to help get you out of here" she added
"Maria and Brody they're here as well" Liz said smugly
"Fine, but once you're out of here Liz never try and contact him again is that understood" Isabel warned her former friend
"Yeah I understand" Liz nodded
"Good be ready" Isabel told her before she vanished as Liz really woke up
****
"Max are you sure this can't wait?" Laric asked as Max, Michael and Tess prepared to use the machine that would allow them to process humans on earth
"I'm sure Laric; it's too distracting having her calling out to me. If that was to happen whilst I was leading an attack it could be dangerous" Max explained his reasoning to his friend
"I understand" Laric nodded
"Ok lets go" Max said turning to the others
"Be careful some of you're powers won't work whilst you're controlling the humans" Laric told them as Tess handed her and Max's son over to Ava
****
Liz turned as the door to her cell suddenly opened and a guard stepped in, he however didn't point his weapon at her or even look threatened by her powers. She noticed two more guards step inside followed by Maria and Brody
"What's going on? Where are you taking us?" she demanded
"We're getting you out of here" the first guard told her
"What?" Liz asked stunned before she remembered what Isabel hold told her during her dream walk "Max?" she asked
"Right" the guard replied in a tight voice "Let's go now" he added as the second guard moved to flank her "We'll make it look like we're taking you to see the General, don't talk to any one not even each other" Max instructed her
"Fine" Liz replied with a frown as she walked over to join the others
They moved slowly through the base, all of them were uneasy as they passed the real guards. All it would take would be for someone like Carlson to turn up and they'd be finished. Liz could barely stop herself from launching an attack on all of them; she had guessed that Michael and most likely Tess were the other guards. She had already shoved her hand inside her pocket to stop anyone from seeing the power flares on her hand.
"Almost there" Michael said as they approached the double door that lead to the back of the base. Two MP's were guarding it both armed with standard issue army rifles.
"Stay here I'll deal with this" Max said beginning to move forward
"No Max, I can pull just enough power to mind warp them for a few minutes so we can pass" Tess said grabbing his arm as she closed her eyes to concentrate
As soon as the word min warp was spoken Liz knew without a doubt that Tess was the third guard, it took all of her control to stop herself from attacking her and blowing not only her escape but Maria's and Brody's as well. The guards remained where they were as they all passed, Max basically had to carry the guard Tess had processed out of the base
"We'll take you right to the edge of town in one of the jeeps, from there go where you want we'll wait a few moments before releasing the guards from our control ok" Max told them
"Sure" Maria said with a shrug
****
Laric watched over the motionless bodies of his friends as they went about their plan to release Liz and the others. Wrath and Zhan had been busy looking over the plans which included the locations of Ka'var's bases. He wondered what sort of plan would be brought together by the returned royal four and their doubles. With two Zhan's the chances of their success were greatly improved, the same goes for the two Wraths. Both had been great warriors before Ka'var had attacked and Lani had betrayed them.
****
"Ok this is it, you're on your own from here" Max told them
"Max, I maybe not of liked the fact that you lied to me since we met but I can kind of understand why you had to. At least I know the truth now" Brody said offering his hand to Max, Max smiled and shook it
"You take care Brody" Max replied
"Not that you deserve it for betraying us but thanks for getting us out of there" Maria nodded "And good luck taking your world back" she added
"Thanks just make sure you find someway to change your names like Jim and Kyle did, it's the only way you'll be safe" Michael told them
"Yeah we'll remember" Liz said with a shake of her head before starting up the jeep and taking off.
"Ungrateful Bitch" Michael said with a shake of his own head
"Leave it" Max told him "We're clear, let go of your control slowly" Max before the guard he had processed collapsed followed quickly by the other two.
****