Kyle Hobbes

On the Road

The sun was just starting to come up, and the early morning light revealed a lone, slightly damaged car on a deserted road. Hobbes had been driving since shortly after he had talked to Lisa in the warehouse. He had known that Anna's death would free him from his promises to Fifth Column, and he would be able to leave and search for Sarah without worrying about people and lizards trying to hunt him down.

But the hours of driving since his crash had given him plenty of time to start doubting. He doubted that Anna was really dead. Whatever euphoria feeling he had felt a few hours ago had Anna written all over it. Although, it wasn't Anna's voice that he had heard in his head. It definitely wasn't Anna's voice. The whole thing was very confusing.

Hobbes didn't dwell on the subject longer though, as he saw the house in the distance, partially hidden by the thick trees surrounding it. Hobbes pulled up to the house that he and Sarah had once shared before the fateful day she went missing.

He had always hated that house, it was too exposed. There were too many places for enemies to hide and position to attack. He had gotten it for Sarah. She loved it more than any other place they had lived. But Hobbes was never one to stay in the same place for an extended period of time, so the house wasn't used as much as i might have been.

If the Vs had Sarah, then the only way he would find her is if he found a V that had been assigned to her. Malik had been a testament to the fact that the Vs had limited knowledge of what other Vs did. He needed to find a V and force them to tell him what they did with Sarah. Hobbes figured that he would need to start at the beginning—at the last place Sarah had been—if he was going to find any clues to her whereabouts.

Hobbes parked the car, approaching the door with caution and gun in hand. A second firearm was safely tucked into the back of his jeans. He pushed open the door and was greeted by the sad sight of his former home, once alive with life, now dead and silent.

It looked exactly like it had when he left, minus the thick layer of dust that had settled over every surface. Hobbes cleared the house. There were no Vs nor any sign that the Vs had ever been here. Hobbes doubted that they ever had. He set his gun on the table just inside the door and began his search for other clues.

If there was anything to be found, he would find it.

And he did. After three hours of endless searching, he had found a carefully written note taped to the back of a picture of the two of them. Hobbes deeply regretted not searching the house more carefully when Sarah had first disappeared. He had let his emotions control him then, much like he had that day he blew up the Fifth Column hideout.

Hobbes looked at the note for a few minutes without really seeing it. It had been so long since he had seen her handwriting. He had almost forgotten what it looked like. But the two words on the note required more attention. Hobbes glared at them before retrieving his gun and getting back in the car.

Safe House

Lisa

Prison

It had taken her hours to find it. But the communicator now lay in her hand, ready to use. Lisa reveled in her success for only a moment. Time was of the essence and she had to contact someone as soon as possible. She carefully activated the device and waited for someone to answer.

But no one did.

Lisa sat down in defeat. Maybe the Fifth Column had been destroyed by her mother. If they had, then it was all her fault. She hadn't done what she had been told. Now her grandmother was dead and the Fifth Column was unreachable.

A fire burned in her and she tried the device again. She wasn't going to rest until someone answered.

Or maybe until Joshua came and told her what to do.

Anna

Mother Ship

Anna rested on the luxurious white couch in her private room. After the taxing events of earlier that night, she needed some time to recuperate. If Amy hadn't arrived in the Bliss chamber when she had, then Anna most likely would not have been alive at that moment.

But she was alive, and her mind was already planning her next move.

She heard Marcus' footsteps approach her.

"My Queen," he said with a bow, "the humans have been successfully Blissed, and the construction of Concordia is on track. What are your orders?"

Anna sat up. "Now that the world has been Blissed, all that is left is Fifth Column. I want them eradicated for opposing me. Every last one of them."

"How do you plan to do that?" asked Marcus.

"Erica Evans," said Anna. "She has lost her entire family at the hands of the Fifth Column. I think it is likely that she will do all in her power to make sure that they never hurt anyone ever again. Through her we can destroy the Fifth Column."

"You really think that she will be able to do that?" he asked with some skepticism.

"Yes, with our help of course," said Anna. "We can give her the knowledge and means to carry out her revenge."

She stood up and faced Marcus. "Set up a meeting with her; I want to personally offer my condolences. Mother to mother."

Marcus nodded and left the room just as Thomas entered. "My queen," he said quickly. "I regret to tell you that Chad Decker has escaped."

Anna drew herself up to her full height. "How did this happen?"

"We suspect that it happened before the Bliss," said Thomas. "All of the guards with him are dead."

Anna turned away from him. "We must find him. Send out a tracker, and don't stop until he is found."

"Yes, my queen," said Thomas turning to leave.

"Also," said Anna, "tell Joshua to meet me in my daughter's prison. We have some business to discuss."

Thomas nodded and left swiftly.

Anna smiled. Her plan was flawless.

Joshua

Secret Prison

Joshua hurried down to Lisa's cell. He needed to get there before Anna if he was to have a chance to talk to Lisa alone. He found her standing in one of the alcoves, her back to him.

"Lisa," he called.

She turned and her eyes widened when she saw it was him.

"Joshua, what are you doing here?"

"Your mother asked me to meet her here. I believe that they are planning to do something with you."

Lisa walked forward and grasped his hands. He kept his face blank. "Joshua, Tyler's dead. You need to contact Erica. Help her."

"How?" he asked. "The communicator was-"

He stopped when she pulled the small device out of her pocket. "I found it. Dianna hid it in here. She must have realized all that could go wrong." She pressed it into his hand. "You must take it. You are still trusted. Contact Erica."

Joshua took it and looked at her. "I will get you out of here. I promise you that."

Lisa nodded, and Joshua backed away from her as the sounds of the lift were heard. Lisa arranged an angry look on her face, a feat she didn't find too hard.

Anna came in looking smug. "Well daughter, it's time for some answers."

Lisa glared. "You killed Tyler."

"No, Lisa," said Anna. "You killed Tyler. You killed him when you failed to obey me. If you had done what you were told, he would still be alive."

"That's a lie," said Lisa dangerously.

Anna looked at Lisa. "Tell me Lisa, when did you get involved with Fifth Column?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Lisa, lifting her chin defiantly.

Anna paused and then roughly seized Lisa's throat in her hand; Lisa gasped. "I know you were working with Fifth Column. The man who met with me, he was Fifth Column. They are the only ones who want me dead. How long have you been working with them?"

Lisa smirked, and then spoke hoarsely, "They keep getting to you. That must really hurt, knowing that they've stopped your plans so many times." She let her words hang for a moment. "But you don't think that they could have had all those victories without a little help do you? Do you really think that the Fifth Column could have blown up your eggs?"

Anna's mouth opened slightly. "What are you talking about?"

"I helped destroy your eggs, Mother. Me. Your precious daughter."

Anna thrust Lisa away from her. Turning to the guards she spoke furiously. "Take her to the memory chamber." She turned back to Lisa. "Soon we'll know just who it is that you were working with."

Anna strode over to Joshua, who was watching Lisa struggle to fight off the memory chamber. So far she hadn't given up anything.

"What's her status?"

"She is remarkably strong," said Joshua. "She has been able to fight off the chamber for several hours now."

"Keep trying," said Anna. "And while you are waiting, I need you to figure out how Amy was able to Bliss the humans."

Joshua looked at her. "It was the hybrid that Blissed the humans?"

"Yes," said Anna. "I need to know why. That is something that only a queen can do, yet she was able to do it also."

She turned to him and smiled. "You have done well Joshua, been very loyal."

As she walked away, Joshua recognized the subtle threat in her words.

Kyle Hobbes

Safe House

The safe house was another place in the middle of nowhere that Hobbes had reserved for dire emergencies only. It was the place he had told Sarah to go to if she had ever felt threatened in any way. It was also the first place he had looked when she went missing and the last place he had searched when he was told that she was dead.

It looked like an ordinary one-room wood cabin, but inside was a whole different story. The house was basically a bunker: weapons, ammunition, computers, everything he ever would need would be there. It was also a huge Faraday cage. It could survive anything, except perhaps a Mothership landing on it.

Hobbes drew his gun as soon as he stepped out of the car. Over years of training in the military, he had developed a sixth-sense like ability to find targets and eliminate them. And as he scanned the surrounding area, he felt as though someone was watching him. He saw no one though, and he couldn't tell where they might have been hiding. He hated dealing with lizards.

Hobbes approached the house and pushed open the door. A quick sweep of the room revealed no intruders and no Sarah either. Of course there was nothing there, but it was worth a shot. Hobbes put his gun away and glanced over the computer station and the weapons cache. Nothing was out of the ordinary. It was exactly as he had left it.

Except for one thing.

The single picture frame in the entire room was facing the wrong way.

Hobbes frowned at it and made his way over.

"Don't move," said a voice behind him.

Hobbes froze and lifted his hands up.

"Now get down on your knees."

Hobbes didn't comply. He could tell right away that this was the person he had sensed outside. "Look, whoever you are, you are trespassing."

There was no answer so Hobbes slowly turned around. Standing in front of him what was obviously a V, judging by his uniform and the creepy looking knife he was holding.

"What are you doing here?" growled Hobbes.

The V looked a little frightened, though Hobbes didn't know why. He may have been several inches shorter than Hobbes and much less well armed, but he was a V. Hobbes wondered if he could draw his gun faster than the lizard could fling his knife.

He decided it wasn't worth the risk.

The V swallowed. "Anna stationed me here to report anyone that ever came by." He glanced around nervously. "But I turned against Anna. I don't follow her anymore."

Hobbes glared suspiciously. "Then what are you still doing here?"

"My assignment," it said. "I knew of a woman that had been taken away from here. I thought that maybe I could help anyone who came to look for her."

Hobbes felt his heartbeat increase. The lizard knew about Sarah.

He suddenly glared. "I've been here before. Why didn't you say anything then?"

The V looked at the floor. "I was still loyal to Anna then. I reported that you had been looking around, but I was ordered not to do anything to you."

Hobbes growled. "Yeah, and then you just stayed here for another five years, and in the meantime, decided to break away from the lizard Queen." The V winced and Hobbes continued. "But the woman that was here, where is she? Tell me everything you know."

The V nodded. "I don't know what happened to her after she was taken away, but I know the address of the place she was taken. I can give it to you."

With one more nervous look at Hobbes, the V went to the desk and scribbled something out on a piece of paper. Hobbes watched him as a feeling of dread began to settle in his gut.

The V handed him the piece of paper without looking at him. Hobbes looked at the address and then back at the V. "Why did you stop following Anna?"

The V shifted on his feet. "I was originally one of the ones guarding the woman. She was… kind to me. No one else had ever treated me like she had."

Hobbes stared at the V. More than anything, he wanted to shoot it dead. But something stopped him.

He glared at it. "Consider yourself lucky," he said.

Without another word he strode back outside and to his car.

He had been spending too much time with Erica.

Erica Evans

Project Aries

Erica walked up to the station that Lars, Kendrick, and Bolling were currently conversing at. She clutched her cell phone in her hand and she faced them all with a grim look.

"Erica, good news," said Kendrick. "We've located Sidney and he's on his way here."

"Good," said Erica. She looked at Lars. "Marcus just called. Anna wants to see me."

Lars looked at her thoughtfully. "Did he say why she wanted to see you?"

Erica shook her head. "No, but he said it was urgent."

Kendrick and Bolling exchanged looks and Lars rubbed his chin. "Well whatever it is, it must be important. You should leave immediately."

"I'm leaving now," said Erica simply.

Kyle Hobbes

Unknown address

The address he was led to didn't look anything like a place that the Vs would congregate in. But Hobbes supposed that was the point.

The warehouse was almost empty when he first entered it. The only sign that it had ever been in use was the single computer station at one end of the warehouse. Hobbes didn't even bother looking around. He made a beeline for the computer. The feeling in his gut had grown stronger, and deep down he had a feeling that everything was going to go wrong. But the thought of finally finding Sarah overpowered any other emotion he felt.

There were no Vs around for Hobbes to question, so his only chance was any information the computer could give him. Otherwise, he was back to square one. Or perhaps he could find that V from the safe house and give it a piece of his mind.

He fired up the computer and scanned over some files laying on the desk while he waited. Nothing was of any importance.

The computer beeped and Hobbes rapidly began searching it. He was a master of computers, and soon enough he had found something of interest.

Only it wasn't anything like what he was looking for. It was a video. And watching it made Hobbes sick.

Sarah was strapped to a chair, tears rolling down her cheeks. A group of Vs surrounded her.

"Just read these lines," they said, "and we'll let you go home."

Despite being obviously terrified, Sarah glared up at them. "You'll kill me no matter what."

The V shrugged. "True. But the rest of your life will be infinitely more unpleasant if you don't do as we say."

Sarah eyed the knives that the Vs were holding. "What are you going to do with those? she asked, frightened.

The V smiled at her. "We'll cut you up into little pieces and feed you to the dogs," he said.

Sarah started crying again. "Okay," she conceded. "Okay, I'll do it. Just please don't hurt me."

She did everything they wanted her to, and when she was finished, the Vs laughed and approached her with the knives.

"Wait, please," begged Sarah. "Please, I'm pregnant. Please don't hurt me."

But the men didn't stop, and their knives glinted in the dim light.

Sarah screamed.

Hobbes staggered away from the monitor, horrified and sick, unable to comprehend what he had just seen.

He heard a noise behind him, and he whipped around with gun in hand.

Through eyes that were filled with tears, he saw a group of Vs surrounding him.

Hobbes knew then that the entire thing had been a trap. He had just been too blind to see it.

"You will pay for what you've done," he said with a clenched jaw.

But he had already let his emotions affect his judgment. And now his fighting skills were hampered as well.

It was no surprise to him that he was down before he knew what had happened. The last thing he saw was the V from the safe house staring down at him coldly.

Erica Evans

Mother ship

Erica stepped off the shuttle with a feeling of dread. During the flight she had had time to think of all the reasons why Anna would want to meet with her. She wondered if something had happened to Lisa. After what had happened, she wouldn't be surprised.

She looked around for someone—especially Tyler. But he wasn't there. The only person she saw was Marcus, coming toward her.

"Agent Evans," he said. "It's good to see you again."

"Likewise," lied Erica.

"Come," he said, gesturing down the hall. "Anna is waiting for you."

Erica followed him to Anna's private room. Marcus left her before she went in so Erica had time to steel herself for what was to come.

She entered the room and saw Anna, facing away from her. Anna turned to look at her, and Erica saw that her eyes were rimmed red. Erica felt her dread increase.

"Anna? What's wrong?" she asked.

"Oh, Agent Evans," said Anna in fake sorrow. "I am so sorry." She approached Erica and reached for her hands. "I have horrible news."

"What is it?" asked Erica worriedly.

Anna shed a tear. Crocodile tear, thought Erica. "It's Tyler." Erica felt her stomach plummet. "He's dead."

For a moment, Erica was incapable of speech. "What?" she choked out. "No, no, that's not possible."

Anna led her over to a chair. "Erica I'm so sorry. I felt as though Tyler was a son to me and it has nearly broken my heart to learn of this. But I can't begin to understand the pain you must be feeling."

Tears started flowing freely down Erica's cheeks. "How could this have happened?" she sobbed.

"Fifth Column," said Anna without hesitation. "They attacked the shuttle Tyler was flying. They attacked without mercy."

Erica gasped quickly covered her mouth as an anguished scream threatened to escape. For a few minutes, all she could do was cry while Anna put a hand on her shoulder. Erica wanted nothing more than to cut it off.

Finally, she managed to get herself under control. "May I see his body?"

"Of course," said Anna gently. She helped Erica up and guided her towards the door. Before they got there, it opened and Lisa came through.

"Mrs. Evans," said Lisa and Erica saw the same red rimmed eyes that Anna had been sporting. "I am so sorry," she said and reached forward to hug her. "I loved Tyler. I can't believe this is really happening."

Somewhere through Erica's fog of mind, she still managed to notice that the hug wasn't genuine. It felt wrong—not like the hugs she had given Lisa before.

She pulled Lisa back and looked into her eyes. There was no sorrow, no warmth, no light. The girl in front of her didn't care one iota that Tyler was dead.

Erica said nothing; she just let the tears flow.

Anna led her away from Lisa and down the hall to a room. In the middle of the room, on a table, was something covered by a sheet. Erica didn't want to think about what lay under that sheet.

Standing by the door was Joshua, but Erica couldn't bear to look at him. She slowly approached the body.

Anna whispered to Joshua, "Keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn't see anything she isn't supposed to." Joshua bowed his head.

In a louder voice she said, "I'll leave you alone for a moment."

She strode out the door.

Erica was already at the table, and with a shaking hand, she lifted the sheet covering the head. She saw her son, his face marred and ruined, but still undeniably her son.

Erica covered her mouth to stifle her sobs, but eventually she lay over the body and cried her heart out. There was no measure to her grief. She had lost the last person she loved, and it was all because of the Visitors.

Joshua gave her a few minutes to grieve, but he knew they had a very limited time to talk. He approached her cautiously as soon as her sobs quieted.

"Erica?" he asked gently. He reached out and touched her shoulder.

Erica straightened up and wiped her eyes. Joshua saw that they had a blaze in them.

"Whoever did this will pay, Joshua. I will destroy them."

He nodded. "That's what I need to tell you. Anna has hatched another queen egg. The girl you talked to was not Lisa, and it was this second daughter of Anna's that killed Tyler, but not before she had mated with him."

Erica didn't react to the information beyond taking a shaking breath. "I knew that she wasn't Lisa." She looked at Joshua. "Where is the real Lisa? She isn't-"

"No," said Joshua quickly. "She is being kept in Dianna's former prison." Briefly he explained to her all that had happened and all that he had gathered.

"So Dianna is dead. Ryan is dead. Lisa is locked up. My son… is dead. And the entire world has been Blissed by Ryan's daughter." She ran a hand through her hair. "What are we going to do, Joshua? What can we do?"

"We must stop Anna," said Joshua. "Lisa is still our best hope of overthrowing Anna. I will figure out a way to get Lisa off the ship and you must figure out a way to destroy the other Lisa."

Erica wondered if Joshua was giving her a way to avenge Tyler's death. She began pacing a little. "Isn't there any way I can get Lisa off the ship now?"

"No," he said. "Anna still has her in the memory chamber. She has fought it off so far, but I don't know how long she can withstand it." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the communicator. "I have tried to contact you using this, but there has been no response."

Erica nodded. "Jack had the other one, but he went missing after the Bliss."

"When you find him, contact me and I will let you know of anything else that has happened."

Erica smiled sadly at him. "Thank you… for everything."

She turned away, unable to stay any longer.

The moment she was out of the room however, she found Anna waiting.

"Erica, how are you?"

"My son is dead," said Erica bitterly. "And the people responsible for killing him are running free. I'm not doing very well."

Anna nodded. "I know how you feel. Having someone who hurt you out there and not paying for what they've done." She paused. "I need to tell you something. I feel as though I am responsible for Tyler's death. After all, his relationship with my daughter put him at risk."

"No," said Erica firmly. "I am ultimately responsible for what happened to my son." She swallowed. "I'm the head of the Fifth Column task force. You are not the only one responsible."

And it was true. Because in that room, with the body, she had realized that the Vs could not be held solely responsible. If she had told Tyler the truth to begin with, then he would never have been in danger. She had failed him as a mother.

Anna lowered her eyes. "There is something else."

"What is it?" asked Erica.

Anna waved her hand and one of the V monitors showed up. On it a video played. Erica watched it in disbelief.

"As you can see," said Anna, "that man was clearly the one responsible for killing your husband."

Erica watched a video of Hobbes, standing at the back of a crowd, with a small device in his hand. He presses a button, and moments later a building explodes. Everyone starts shooting, and her husband is caught in the crossfire.

"I know that this must be hard for you to watch, Erica, and I wouldn't have shown it to you so soon… but this man is Fifth Column and has attacked us before. We are only trying to help you."

Erica covered her mouth with her hand. Watching Joe's death after seeing her son's body was almost too much. Clearly that was what Anna wanted.

"If he was Fifth Column," she said slowly, "then why would he blow up his own compound?"

"He knew that there was no way out for the men inside," replied Anna. "He didn't want them to be caught by authorities."

Erica didn't know how to respond to this new revelation of Anna's. She knew that Eli didn't blow up his own compound, but she had assumed the Vs did it. And beyond that, how could she trust anything Anna showed her. She needed to dig more.

"They will pay for this Anna," said Erica in a choked voice. "Those that did this to my family will suffer the same fate."

Anna laid a hand on her arm. "I know they will," she assured.

Erica nodded at her, and quickly left to get on the next shuttle down to earth. She couldn't spend one more minute on the ship.

Anna watched Erica go with satisfaction. Her plan was working out perfectly.

"My queen," said Marcus coming to stand beside her. "I have just received word that Kyle Hobbes has been captured. He is being brought here as we speak."

Anna smiled to herself. "Even better," she said.

Kyle Hobbes

Mother Ship

Hobbes woke up strapped to a metal table. Bright lights glared overhead. He struggled to get out of the restraints, but before he had much chance, he saw Anna leaning over him. Marcus, Thomas, and Joshua stood behind her.

"I'm glad to see that you're awake," said Anna smiling.

"Yeah, sure you are," said Hobbes. "I guess that's why you knocked me out and brought me up on your ship, eh?"

Anna continued to smile at him. "Mr. Hobbes, you should know that you are very important to our cause. We've been working with you for many years, and you have helped us in many essential things. I see no reason to discontinue our relationship so soon."

Hobbes smiled wryly. "Yeah, I've really been working with you lizards, haven't I? I guess that's why I shot your top man." He nodded towards Marcus. "But I see I didn't do my job as well as I should have."

He watched in satisfaction as Anna's jaw clenched. He tilted his head up towards her. "I will make you pay for what you have done to those I love."

Anna's smile returned. "Really?" And then she leaned in closer. "Good luck with that."

She turned away and walked out of the room. She looked at Joshua. "Take Lisa out of the memory chamber and put him in instead. I want to find out who he was working for."

"Yes, my queen," said Joshua.

"What are planning on doing with Lisa?" asked Marcus.

Anna smiled. "We now know that Mr. Hobbes is Fifth Column and we know that my daughter is Fifth Column. It is very likely that the two of them worked together at some point—perhaps they both even plotted my assassination. I am going to use my daughter's weakness of emotion to make her tell me who the leader of the Fifth Column is. Then we can give that information to Agent Evans and watch her destroy the Fifth Column."

"How will you get them to tell you the identity of the Fifth Column leader?" asked Thomas.

Anna smirked. "I am going to break Mr. Hobbes. Both emotionally and physically. If he doesn't tell us what we want to know, then my daughter will."