PROLOUG0

"I just can't do it Ria," cried Liz desperately.

"I know Lizzy we, Kyle, Alex and I, all feel the same way you do, we feel connections too," Maria replied softly. But Liz just wasn't listening.

"We aren't even sure that they are the royal four. I mean except for the feeling of being connected with them, we don't have anything else to go on," ranted Liz.

Finally Maria's patience with Liz ran out. Grabbing Liz's arm Maria forced a connection with Liz, usually Liz was always open to Maria but her agitation had blocked the bond that they had shared sense pre-school. She then repeated Kyle, Alex, and I feel the same way that you do. Believe us The word believe echoed in Liz's head, calming her down and returning her to her usual analytical self. Just as she began to feel completely calm Liz watched Maria turn pale and slide down to land on the floor. Maria looked up at Liz and said in a fearful voice, "We failed him, we FAILED Nasedo."

"I know Ria, but I will not kill Max!"

CHAPTER 1

Liz called a group meeting that night after the Crashdown closed. Liz and Maria need to discuss with Kyle and Alex what they should do now. As they started talking about their options, Liz had a premonition.

Flash "Hi, Tess can we talk? "Um sure..." "Daddy this is Liz Parker, she's a um friend from school." "Well Tess she will have to stay for dinner."

"Liz? Hello earth to Liz," cried Maria gently shaking Li's shoulder.

"Maria," breathed Liz, she then shuddered remembering those lifeless eyes.

"What's up chica, what just happened?"

"Maria, Kyle, Alex. Nasedo is protecting the fourth alien. I swear I just had a premonition of meeting this girl name Tess, and needing to talk to her then meeting her father. Her father whom I didn't recognize, but when I looked into his eyes I knew him it was Nasedo, the coldness, the emptiness, it was him."

Kyle stood up, "Looks like we have been lied to about everything, I believe that now we should rely on our instinct. I don't know about you three but the closer I get to Max, Michael and Isabel the more I feel like I should be protecting them."

Liz blushed and spoke up, "I also feel like I'm suppose to be protecting them, but, I also feel like I'm suppose to protect Max more than anything, and um...I ...I ...I'm beginning to think of him as more than just a friend."

Maria grinned at Liz and looked over at Kyle and Alex, who looked confused.
"To put in terms you can understand, Liz would like to jump his bones," she laughed as Liz shot her a dirty look and Kyle and Alex had the grace to brush.

"Hey, that's not fare, I know you have the hots for Michael," replied Liz in retaliation.

"I can not deny it so I won't."

After the group had recovered from the giggles, Liz brought up the point that Nasedo hadn't contacted them in four years, so I doubt that we have to worry for a least a couple of weeks, if were lucky a couple of months. Realizing how late it had gotten the group wrapped up the meeting. Maria went to call her mom to say she was staying at Liz's while Liz showed Kyle and Alex out. Climbing up the steps Maria realized that for all the group talked a lot about the meetings with Nasedo she remembered very little.

"Liz, how much of the actual meetings with Nasedo do you remember?" asked Maria.

"Not much, now that you mention it," mused Liz.

"Listen I have an idea, but I don't know if it will work or not..."

"Well," prompted Liz when Maria lost her train of thought.

"Oh sorry, well here's the deal, what if Nasedo blocked our memories of the meetings. I was thinking that if we connected maybe you might be able to tell if there were blocks in place and then you might be able to take them down or break through them."

Liz looked at Maria her eyes a gleam with the prospect of a new science project, but she said quiet calmly, "We can give it a try."

Maria opened her connection with Liz and tried to relax as Liz sunk deeper into Maria's awareness. Maria wanted to know what was happening so she contacted Liz and as soon as she did Liz was able to see the blocks, Liz was astounded by the shear number. Liz became violently angry at what had been done to her best friend, and tore through the mind blocks clearing each memory path. Expunging Nasedo's taint from her friends mind. As soon as she had completed that task Liz pulled out of the merge.

Liz looked at Maria while she cried silent tears but didn't know what to say. However soon Maria's tears dried and she turned and said to Liz, "Gear up chica it's your turn now."

Liz grinned at Maria, "Bring it on."

Maria initiated the contact this time and was surprised when she felt Liz's shields go up. Knock, knock chica Still Liz's shields would not come down. After a few moments of intense mental screaming Maria realized that when Liz had helped her they had triggered some sort of silent alarm. Extremely angry Maria grabbed Liz and put all her anger, frustration, resentment into one final push. At last the shields gave way and Maria was able to remove the blocks from Liz's mind.

Liz looked at Maria after she had gotten control over her own emotions, which weren't quiet as involved as Maria's and read trouble in Maria's eyes.

"Ria, what's the matter?"

"Liz when you first contacted my mind and we merged, did you have to break through my shields?" asked Maria.

"No, why?" replied Liz.

"Listen I think Nasedo had a warning system or an alarm thingy attached to one of my mental blocks, because when I tried to contact you I couldn't there were shields up. I'm guessing Nasedo put them up."

"Maria if that's the truth how were you able to break through the shields?" asked Liz.

"I was just so angry that Nasedo had done this. The things I remember, now that the blocks are gone, well they filled me with a rage I just couldn't contain. I gathered those feelings and used them to break through his shields."

"Thanks Ria, I don't know about you but I am tired and need to sleep before I think of what you just told me and I think you need to rest too," said Liz, gently.

"Good idea, night Liz."

"Night Maria."

Maria knew he was after her, she had disobeyed him. Maria knew that the man had been sent to train them to kill the royal four. But Maria knew that she was supposed to protect them, especially Rath. He was her soul-mate; she had sworn her loyalty to King Zan and his entourage. She would die for all of them and so would the other three. But they weren't here to draw strength from so she ran, and ran, running towards the chamber, the pods, the Granolith. Realizing she was about to betray them all she reversed her directions, giving ample time for Nasedo to catch her. Knowing she didn't have much longer she made every part of her memories about the royal four vanish; from her conscious and subconscious levels. That way Nasedo would never find them. The next thing she knew was that Nasedo had scooped her up and carried her back to the cave. "Now," he hissed "tell me where the pod chamber is." "I can't remember," sobbed Maria, as Nasedo began to rape her mind looking for the answers.

Gasp

"Liz, Lizzy please wake up," cried Maria shaking her shoulder.

"Mmm, Wha' you wan'?" she asked sleepily.

"Liz he raped my mind," croaked Maria.

That statement shook the cobwebs from her head. "Say what?"

Maria burst into to tears, tears that stole her breath and shook her body; Liz held her until she stopped crying. Taking deep breaths Maria got her self under control and told Liz about her dream.

"So I was running away from Nasedo, but I started running towards the pods that had hosted the royal four. I changed directions; I made myself forget about them completely. You, Kyle, and Alex even if you had been there would not have been able to stop him, I knew where the pods were...I mean are located. Liz he raped my mind, but all he found was that I had known about the chamber and the rest of you didn't. He wasn't able to find what he sought so he used all of us to achieve his ends by trying to make us believe that we were the people sent to protect everyone from evil aliens."

"Why didn't we know where the pods are located and how can you remember now?" asked Liz.

"I can't tell you until we free Kyle and Alex, the information I need to share needs to be shared mind to mind, not by word of mouth," replied Maria.

Liz nodded her consent; the scientist in her was going crazy, but she trusted Maria.