Hey all! Thanks for coming back to read! I hope Michael's interview was interesting enough ;)
XIV
Making Plans
By 12:34 p.m. Liz was positively going to make something explode, alien powers or no alien powers. She was holding the empty plastic water bottle as if her life was depending on it. Where was Max? And for that matter, where was Michael as well?
She had been scared beyond belief when for what had seemed like an eternity early that morning, Max had shut her out, completely, making her feel a coldness where Max's warmth had always been. What the hell had happened at that early hour, she had no idea, but she hadn't liked it at all. And then, an instant later, Max's connection had returned with a huge feeling of "I'm sorry" that had left her feeling confused. Max is okay, she had kept telling herself all morning long, almost embracing herself for another shock of coldness if whatever had happened to Max happened again. Oh, her husband had a big explanation to give, Liz knew, but she would wait for that 'til they were alone. After all, discussing their connection in public wasn't exactly a merry thought.
She had kept feeling Max's discomfort all morning long, which she could understand to some degree. But for an hour now, she had been experiencing something different from him. Something she had never felt before. It wasn't as if Max was angry, because it wasn't such a conventional feeling, but it was like a mix of fear with intensity and something else… something along the lines of determination. Oh, and of Max's stubbornness she had more than just a few memories. Usually, when they were being stubborn with each other for whatever reason, she would not really notice the difference between how she felt being stubborn from how Max was letting her feel his stubbornness through their connection.
But today was different. This feeling wasn't directed at her. And the feeling was different all the same. Something had bothered Max big time, but had also made him feel afraid. What had they done at the Lab today? Because a car game would not do that to her husband's feelings.
"You know, Liz, the bottle isn't responsible…" Kyle said while returning to their table at the Cafeteria. He was already carrying his lunch, a couple of tuna sandwiches and an orange juice.
Liz didn't reply, too focused on trying to decipher the latest mystery message through the connection she shared with her soul mate.
"Okay, not my best material, but you could at least roll your eyes at me…" Kyle said, sitting next to her. Maria was still serving herself. Liz wasn't hungry. In fact, if anything but water actually managed to get through her throat, it would not pass the tight knot that was now her stomach. This apprehension was just not helping her appetite.
"Sorry," she said, returning her attention to the rest of the world.
"You could send a message or call to the Lab, you know?" Kyle said, putting a comforting hand over her shoulder. It was at times like this that Liz remembered why she had gone out with Kyle for an entire summer back when Kyle wasn't even half the nice guy he was now. He might think he sucked at the "meaningful stuff", but Kyle just knew the right moment to make a gesture like this, like putting a hand on your shoulder, which instantly made you feel better.
"I know, but it's just half an hour past midday, so I can't…" Liz said with doubt, frowning a little, her eyes not really focused on anything. Why was she so convinced that she shouldn't call Max? It wasn't as if they weren't married, for crying out loud! A wife was allowed to call her husband to check on things, right? Max had told her that his Mom called his Dad once a day. Since her parents had worked together, she hadn't been able to see that kind of behavior though…
All the same, Ray had told her about calling Max from the first moment they had met him at the Gym, and he had kept saying it throughout the morning. He had also told Maria the same thing as well, since this time, Maria wasn't all that confident on Dave keeping his side of the deal if for some reason Michael managed to exasperate him…
Her best friend wasn't much better than herself at trying to not look nervous. Well, make that at the edge of a nervous breakdown. Maria had kept glancing at the watch just as badly as Liz had done the day before. Except that Kyle was now in the picture and he had really tried to make light of the situation as often as he could. Liz had the impression that Kyle wasn't far from joining the anxiety club, though, and this was his way of releasing his stress. Liz envied him. She just couldn't get into sarcastic mode when she was worried about Max.
Why couldn't Max just be here waiting for her? And the reason she wasn't calling, or paging, or sending a message or whatever to him was because they had agreed that they had to be strong, and look strong as well. That meant not panicking because the other wasn't at the Cafeteria at 12 sharp. That also meant that she was relying on their connection to be sure –and to reassure Kyle and Maria- that everything was okay. And when Max had shut her out at 7:30 a.m. …
Why where they being kept apart, anyway? Liz wondered for the millionth time that day. Why couldn't they just go all together and see whatever the hell was in the Lab? They really didn't need to exercise that much… Liz made a mental note to ask exactly that tomorrow, when her turn to meet Dave at his office came.
And why was Maria taking so long to return to the table too? One glance told her the reason: Michael was –finally- coming into the large room, and Maria had forgotten the world around her, going to him in an amazingly controlled walk. Liz lost a little bit of her tension. Now, if only Max could come right away…
She felt him before she actually saw him. A very distinctive sensation. Max's presence getting nearer was something she just couldn't miss. Liz's eyes lighted up in a second. Not only because Max was finally coming, but because it was the first time she could tell he was coming. Max had told her that he always knew when she was nearby, or if she was not so close to him, but for Liz, there hadn't been any real difference. Untill now. And for a brief moment, she was thrilled.
The next moment, however, just as she turned to look at Max entering the Cafeteria, their eyes meeting, she could also feel Max's mixed feelings getting stronger, especially his stubbornness. Whatever had happened at the Lab, Max was setting in stone whatever was passing through his mind right now. Liz gave him a small smile while getting out of the chair and going to meet him some 15 feet away, and Max returned it with one of his own. Well, it couldn't be that bad if he was still smiling at her, right?
Right?
They met right beside where Maria was standing with Michael, both already moving towards their table. If it was hard to put a name to Max's feelings, it was just practically impossible to put a name to Michael's face. He was serious, okay, but Liz couldn't know if he was mad, angry, ready to blow up the whole Cafeteria, or what. Isabel joined them as they started to walk.
"He's in one piece," Max's sister said barely above a whisper.
"Let's hope everything and everyone else is as well," Max answered back, though he was talking in whispers. Certainly, putting in doubt their faith in Michael's behavior wasn't something either one of them wanted Michael to overhear.
Liz had a million questions to ask, but decided to wait just a little bit longer for everyone to hear today's news.
"It wasn't that bad, then?" Kyle was saying as the last three of the group gathered around the table. He was asking Michael, who simply sat by Maria's side, opposite to where Liz, Max and Isabel were now sitting. Kyle was at one end. All eyes expectant on him, Liz couldn't remember a time where they were all waiting so eagerly for Michael's words.
"It could have been worse," Michael answered shrugging, and then, as if something clicked in his head, he turned to look at Liz. "We are going to that base thing this afternoon, right? The Network Geeks' place?
Liz narrowed her eyes, "Yeah…" what was Michael implying here? All her response was a small smile on Michael's lips. Almost a malicious smile, a testimony that something was up in her almost brother-in-law's mind.
"You hungry?" Max asked her, an uncertain undertone in his voice, something that had nothing to do with his question and everything to do with Michael's actions.
"I am now," Liz said, feeling the knot in her stomach loosen up just a little bit. But she wasn't prepared at all when Michael answered Max's questioning look about if he was going to get his own lunch.
"I've already eaten."
What? When? Where! With Dave? For the second time in less than five minutes, the whole group was staring at Michael again. What exactly had happened at Dave's office? Especially if it had involved an actual meal.
"I got out of there early, I came here early," Michael said in a it's-not-a-big-deal tone. Well, getting out "early" did sound like something Michael would do. But how much early, for that matter? Granted, Kyle, Maria and Liz had only been around the Cafeteria for not more than twenty minutes, but still Liz felt suspicious about it. And for that matter, where had Michael been if not at Dave's office or the Cafeteria?
Max nodded at her side, not making any more questions, and placing a hand over her shoulder –one that felt infinitely more reassuring than Kyle's gesture earlier, and Liz felt a little bit guilty for comparing both touches, when she absolutely knew there was no comparing to do- the three of them, Isabel included, went to get their lunch.
Max sighed with relief as they were finishing serving, and barely murmured "he's alright", almost as if he couldn't believe it. Liz smiled at him. "I told you he knew how to do this." Max smiled at her, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "He's in one piece, okay, but I'm not sure if I want to hear what was said… or how early he actually got away…"
"Or where he was if not with Dave or here?" Liz asked him, arching her eyebrows. Max frowned, clearly not having thought about it. Taking a Cherry Coke each, they both went back to where their friends were.
The only married couple of the group was the last to join on the table. Michael had picked one of Maria's French fries and was dipping it into a pool of Tabasco sauce. Isabel was pouring the red condiment as if trying to drown her own food too. No matter how many times she had seen them eating everything –and she meant everything- with Tabasco, she still couldn't help herself mentally saying 'yuck'. Sure, she didn't mind a little spiciness in her daily diet, but…
Max reached for the Tabasco bottle as soon as his sister finished with it. Liz turned her eyes to Michael.
"So, how did it go?" Now that they were all together, their collective anxiety was not as high as when they were in groups scattered all around the complex, but still, everyone slowed down whatever they were doing so they could pay attention to Michael's words.
"I found out some interesting things…" Michael said picking another French fry. "He has the translation of the alien book, that's for sure. He said something about us being the ultimate proof that memories can be cloned."
"He said that?" Max asked in a low tone, his food untouched. Liz bit her lip.
"But you guys barely remember a thing," Kyle said, picking the Tabasco sauce. At least he just intended to spice his food, not to make a pond for it.
Michael shrugged, "Apparently he doesn't know that. I don't know, he didn't say anything else but that." Michael stopped picking fries, and got a more serious way. "Anyway, he admitted he had played every trick he could think of to convince us to stay here," Michael said, leaning over the table, eyes intense. "So you were right with your flash, Max. He was somehow desperate to get us here."
"But he didn't tell you why," Max said, the same intensity in his eyes.
"No, he always got around that question. The most I got was that he would lose if we decide to go."
"He said he would lose? Lose what?" Isabel asked, her food also forgotten.
"He said we both would lose, but didn't say what exactly. I mean, he was implying our lives would be pretty much over," Michael sarcastically said, "but he didn't say what he would lose. And it didn't strike me as if the only thing he would miss is the opportunity to have us as his guinea pigs. There's something else happening in here."
"Do you think it could be something dangerous?" Maria asked, concern in her voice, mirroring Liz's own worries. "That whatever he wants will put you in danger?"
Michael's eyes left Maria's and met with Max's. Liz turned to look at her husband as well. Max lowered his gaze and sighed. "We don't know."
"And we should," Michael said, completely certain of his words. That kind of certainty he always got before he went on doing something… mainly something impulsive.
"Yeah, we should," Liz said, jumping in the conversation. "That's why we are going to study different things, so we can get into different sections of this place, right?"
"We need to do more than just that," Michael said.
"What are you proposing?" Kyle asked, frowning. "Join the Salsa lessons on Friday night?"
"That would be a start," Michael said, clearly not really paying attention to what Kyle had suggested, his own mind racing to explain what he was thinking. All the same, Maria arched her eyebrows, making Michael stop for a second. "I mean, joining with other people so we can get to know what they know. It doesn't matter what kind of group that is," he said, shrugging. "Anyway, they have this voluntary thing, some sort of community service. That might give us access to other areas. Though I'm not sure what it is all about."
"How did you find out about this community service stuff?" Maria asked, frowning. Clearly, Michael was full of surprises today.
"I went to the kitchen and overheard it," Michael said, as if it were such an obvious thing.
"What were you doing in the kitchen?" Maria asked again, her frown even deeper now.
"There was no Tabasco sauce, okay? It doesn't matter, the point is, we have to get as much information from Dave as we can. That might hold the key to what the hell he wants from us. Because I don't think he would leave us alone if we decide to go right this moment, and I sure as hell want to know why."
"What else did he tell you?" Max asked. He was thoughtful, as if measuring Michael's words and plans. That fear that they had made the wrong choice was getting stronger than usual. Liz placed a hand over his leg under the table and was instantly rewarded by Max's warm feelings through their connection. Some sort of "thank you", she guessed. He glanced at her with a small smile and then turned again to look at Michael.
It impressed Liz that Michael had been able to keep a four-hour long conversation by going around in circles. After all, everyone knew Michael wasn't the talkative type. He told them about key points of his conversation, of course, but by the sound of it, they had both talked a lot without really saying much. Liz sighed to herself. How was it going to be with her? How should she approach this… challenge?
"Dad's secretary?" Isabel asked with disbelief.
"I knew that tramp from Freshman year meant trouble," Maria said just a second later.
"How many people do you think he sent?" Kyle asked, a lonely tuna sandwich forgotten on his plate.
"Enough to get to know us," Michael said, a little bit annoyed. "But here's the thing: Why not tail us at all times? Us, not other people. He said it was too much of a risk that others found out about what he was after. Which means there are people that could be a problem for him, a real problem," Michael emphasized, a hint of triumph in his eyes.
"But other people finding about us would mean bigger problems for us as well," Isabel said, barely getting over the shock that people she had barely noticed could have been potentially spying on her at all times. It was a feeling Liz could relate to. How many customers at the Crashdown had been sent by Dave? Because, one thing was to suspect it, and another to know for sure it had happened.
"I don't mean us," Michael said in a lower tone, "but just like Ray said on Saturday, Dave has his projects. I bet he doesn't want other people finding about those either."
"So we are back to what we decided on Sunday," Kyle said, reaching for his juice, "we are looking for secrets concealed in this place."
"Yes," Michael said looking at Kyle, "but we are also looking for Dave's specific secrets. He has a life, and someone has to know about that life. That's what he did with us. And those Net Nerds are going to help us figuring that out."
"Because they are also after him," Liz said, finally getting why Michael had been so… glad they were going to the Network Keepers' Base that afternoon.
"But isn't it just like a game for them?" Maria said, and turning to look at Kyle, continued, "I mean, didn't Dave tell you that it was a cat-mouse game between them?"
Kyle stopped drinking. "I bet Dave thinks of it as a game, but you didn't see how excited Jeremy looked when I told him I had met with the mysterious Dave. It sure as hell isn't a game for them."
"So, what are you suggesting," Isabel asked Michael, "that we go up front with the Network people and tell them that Dave's here?"
"No," Michael said firmly, "that's not the way to go around this thing. We have to do this bit by bit, and keep things to ourselves."
Max nodded in approval. "Dave can't know we are on to him this bad. And for that matter, not anyone else in here. They can mislead us if we are not careful."
Great. Now it wasn't only fearing Jake, Ray and Dave, but the other 500 people around here. Liz looked down at her dessert and knew it wouldn't make it past the knot in her stomach. Well, it wasn't as if she were planning on trusting anyone else outside her group, but it wasn't a nice thought to look at everyone as enemies, especially in a confined space like this one. Gosh, she needed air. And for the first time, Liz truly missed the sky as well.
--------------------------------------------------
"I need a drink."
"Oh, come on Jake. It's not even 2:00 p.m." Dave said standing to meet his friend, leaving the puzzle piece he had been holding just a second before at one corner of the table.
"What were you thinking, Dave?" Jake asked before Dave reached him. There was a hint of reproach in his voice, but also tiredness. "I mean, what were you thinking when you decided to bring them here?"
Dave leaned against the table, his back to the windows and the puzzle, resting his weight on his hands. "I was trying to protect them. I'm still trying to do so too."
"Protect them from what?" Could Dave just tell him once and for all what this whole thing was about?
"From the world, of course," Dave said shrugging, and then, as if thinking it, he silently repeated to himself, "from the world…" A beat, then, "Anyway, if you want a drink at this hour, I take it didn't go all that well today?" For a moment, Dave had looked infinitely older, almost as if he were carrying on his shoulders the world he had spoken of an instant before. But now he had returned to his usual self, looking younger than he really was.
"Oh, it went okay, but they are not happy here," Jake said without hiding his thoughts. Dave respected truth, so he was going to get it now. "They are too scared. It doesn't matter how I present them the project, their hearts are not in it."
"You'll find a way. You always do." Dave said with a smile, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"Yeah, well, I hope your faith in me will someday catch on them. I went as far as offering them to learn ways of escaping. I have to talk to Ray about that, by the way."
"Escaping? What do you mean escaping?" Dave said frowning, dropping his hands to his sides.
"Escaping ambushes, the FBI's traps, alien hunters' techniques, and people like you of course," Jake made a small sarcastic smile with his last comment. "Things that they might think are useful."
Dave didn't seem to like the idea for two seconds, and then, arching his eyebrows, he just shrugged. "Okay, as long as they are comfortable with it. Just tell Ray to go slow on that training," Dave turned to the table again, picking up the piece he had left on the corner, trying to figure out where it would fit. "I certainly don't want them 'escaping' two months from now."
"Well, they shouldn't need to, right? I mean, they are free to go whenever they want." Jake said, taunting Dave. Moving to the desk, the older man started to flip the closest tiny pieces.
"Yeah," Dave half grunted, half said with an annoyed tone. "That was the only thing I could think of that would convince them to actually stay."
"Really? So what would you do if they decide to leave?" Jake asked, amused. Dave didn't hesitate a second to respond.
"Well, the deal was pretty clear on that one: I can't follow them, I'll just disappear. I won't like it, and they won't like it out there either. But that's beside the point," Dave rushed in, clearly not liking where this conversation was going. "If you are doing your job right, they are not going to go anywhere." Their eyes met. Was Dave joking or not?
"My job? I didn't read anywhere that my job was to keep them here. In fact, you didn't even mention they were here against their will." This time, Jake's words came a little bit harsher than he had intended. All the same, he was tired and wanting a drink at 1:43 p.m. because he was having the hardest time trying to figure a way to bond with these kids.
"Oh, come on Jake, don't be melodramatic. They are here willingly as you pointed out just a minute ago. They can leave whenever they want." Dave said, trying to sound comical, but that had come out sounding more like an excuse. They hadn't been best friends for 32 years without getting to know the other that well.
"The only reason why they are going to the lab is so you won't kick them out. In my book, that is not 'willingly' Dave." And that had come out sounding like a reprimand.
"Okay, okay, so we differ on semantics." Dave said rolling his eyes. Then, getting into a serious note, Dave said looking him straight in the eye: "But Jake, please, do everything in your power to keep them here." A pause, then, "Did they warm up to your idea of learning escapes?" The smile had returned, the serious tone replaced by a good natured one. That was Dave's unspoken way of making peace, one Jake never refused. This "semantics" discussion could wait… for now.
"They accepted it, not exactly with cheers and applauses, but at least something flickered in their fearful eyes." Jake stopped flipping pieces. "Still, we didn't exactly end on good terms today."
"What do you mean? What happened?" Dave asked with concern, his muscles visibly tense, his puzzle forgotten. His best friend was clearly worried that something could go astray.
"You know about Max's healing ability, of course, but… something very strange happened less than a year ago." So Jake proceeded to tell him almost word for word what Max had told him about Clayton Wheeler, and Meta Chem. So they were the owners of the dress, had been Dave's only interruption to the whole account of events.
"Anyway, the bottom line is, he doesn't want to use his healing ability ever again," Jake said, still standing in front of Dave's desk, who had taken a seat sometime through the tale in his usual chair.
"He would if he had to." Dave said, thoughtfully. He hadn't reached for a single piece ever since Jake had started. "He healed Michael when they were getting out of the FBI trap. There was a blood trail that vanished in the woods. He will have to show you at some point how he does it."
"What are you suggesting? That I shoot Michael so I can see him using that ability?" Jake joked.
"Of course not," Dave said with humor too, "but at least we know his fear isn't all that bad. It can be overcome."
Jake sighed. "It is understandable that he doesn't want to do it again. He just doesn't seem to realize that what he did with Clayton and what he does when he heals are just different things."
"You didn't tell him that?"
"Sure I did. He said he didn't care. It felt the same way for him, so he sees no real difference. But he has to practice on some level if he expects to understand it and get better at it…"
"Well, my friend, that's why you are considered a genius, you figured this one out, because you are right: He has to practice. Anyway, are you hungry? Michael didn't accept a thing all morning long, so I've been waiting for you to put my teeth to good use."
Jake laughed, and both men went to see what was in Dave's fridge. Still, something was bothering Jake. There was something odd about the way Dave was so adamant about the fact that they had to work with their mental abilities. He kept saying that every time they talked. And that interest was something beyond the project itself, and had little or nothing to do about getting to know what the human brain was capable of. But what could it be?
"There was something very intriguing about today's interview," Dave said, passing Jake an unwrapped sandwich. "Michael kept staring at my favorite code all morning long."
Jake started to pull layer after layer of white, impermeable paper. "Staring?" he absently asked.
"Well, not really staring in the whole sense of the word," Dave said, looking at the black numbers opposite to where they were now. "Every time he wanted to change subjects or I kept silent for a little time, his eyes turned to it."
"He might have thought it odd, that's all." Jake said receiving a 7up can.
"No," Dave said, emphasizing his word by shaking his head. "He wouldn't have turned to look at it 27 times in two hours if he had thought it was odd. He knew there was some hidden meaning to it, he just didn't know how to decipher it. I know the look Jake; I have seen it a million times on my own face."
Jake smiled, finally getting to see the brown color of the baguette bread. "Not everyone is like you, Dave."
Dave shrugged, a little bit annoyed. "Make sure he does his math. I have a sense that he's a natural code breaker."
"A sense?" Jake said, arching one eyebrow. "Now you are psychic too?" Dave's annoyed look grew deeper. "Okay, okay. But you know that to ask Michael to do math is quite a challenge. Especially the kind of math he would need to learn to be a real code breaker, not just one that senses there's a code but that's it. That might take some time, and that is assuming he actually wants to do it."
Oh, of all the things Jake couldn't just imagine… What was up with Dave trying to get these kids into following a career path anyway? Was it just so they would have something else to pass time down here? Was Dave planning to place them somewhere according to their area of expertise? No, that couldn't be. Dave had hundreds of people at his disposal already trained in whatever he needed. Why bother with making these kids study then? Especially something like breaking mathematical codes? Dave might think it was the easiest thing in the world, but for common mortals, math was usually the most hated class.
Both men settled into a comfortable silence while eating. Jake returned to his inner puzzle. A sense of normalcy? Jake thought. If they were common mortals, now they would be finishing their first year in college –second for Isabel. Was that why Dave was trying to make them interested in something? So they would feel like they were doing normal stuff? But then again, why codes? Why not encourage Michael into developing his artistic side? This whole thing was just a question mark after a question mark. Ever since Dave had told him, Jake had suspected something off, but back then it had been just a feeling. He still remembered when Dave had called him seven months ago:
"You know, I have the perfect project for you," Dave had said in a calmed voice over the phone.
"You do?" Dave had a million projects in his head, so Jake barely kept tabs of those, much less knew any in any kind of depth. But what he did know about Dave's projects was that Dave always considered them big. And usually, they were. "Is it something that will change History or just my personal life?" Jake had joked.
"Maybe both," Dave had said, quietly, almost as if he didn't want anyone overhearing him on the other side of the line. "What if I tell you that that camera you've been working on on weekends has a lot of potential with this project?"
"Dave my friend, you've finally become a religious man and now you want to know about your aura's color?" Jake had joked again, holding the cell phone between his jaw and his left shoulder, trying to open a Coke. Last time they had talked about that project, Jake had told him that some of his colleagues were trying to figure out a way of proving that what they were seeing was the human soul.
"No," Dave had laughed, "I was thinking more along the lines the Russians did when they first developed it."
"Psychic Abilities? Really? I thought you weren't interested in that kind of thing."
"Well, I am now. Would you be interested in working with… how do you say it? 'Gifted' kids?"
Jake had stopped right there. Dave wasn't joking. Placing the now open Coke over the table, Jake had straightened himself up and had grabbed the cell phone with his right hand. "How gifted?"
"Very."
Two weeks later Dave had told him about the true nature of his very gifted, if not any longer kids. It had been mind blowing. Not because they were aliens, but because they were just half aliens. Just like Dave's true love was knowledge in general, Jake's true love was Biology, especially Neurobiology. That was why he was interested in psychic abilities to begin with. And these kids –he couldn't really call them anything else after that call- were hybrids with far more advanced abilities than anything or anyone he had even heard of. They were practically the most advanced human beings on the planet. They were just the perfect study cases.
But Dave had made it sound as if they wanted to experiment with their abilities. Wanted to know them. So Jake knew they were on the run and that Dave was looking for a way of getting them into a safe place, but Jake had really thought they were also going to be comfortable with the idea. Well, he was wrong, and now he had to find a way of righting this whole situation. This whole mess as it was turning out to be.
Gosh, when he had been talking with Max and Isabel this morning –and he hadn't liked the idea of leaving Michael out of that conversation but he had to do something while the two siblings were with him- he had just wanted to ask a million personal questions. The little details that made research so fulfilling. But that required a kind of confidence that only developed with time.
When Max had told him they could connect with people, he had been really close to just saying: "Do it. Connect with me and let me see it." God, he would love to be a test science subject, to get to experience first hand a psychic connection. But neither Max or Isabel would have felt comfortable with the idea, so Jake hadn't wanted to push it… yet.
When they had started talking about Liz's connection, he had had to bite his tongue on suggesting "Would you ask her if she wants to explore it?" Oh, he could just picture in his head Max's round eyes filling with terror, his heartbeat going three times faster. No. It would take for Liz to be at death's door for Jake to have a medical look at her and Max being okay with it. And it was such a frustrating thing, because he knew that under other circumstances, Liz would probably be interested in learning the science behind all of it. If she could only convince her husband, sister-in-law, and their mutual best friend…
By now, Jake had already planned tomorrow's strategy about getting to make some bonding with them. Especially since the three of them were going to be there. He wasn't expecting it to be easy, but he had to keep trying on different approaches to earn their trust. Because whatever the hell Dave wanted or expected, the truth was as simple as this: Either the whole thing worked or it didn't.
And so far, building trust with the most advanced humans on this planet just plain sucked.
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Maria kept pressing number after number on her brand new cell phone, courtesy of the Network guys. It was now 3:20 p.m. and the six of them where in the not small, but not quite large "lobby" of the Network Keeper's Base. There was a desk shaped like a C filled with papers of all colors, and about six or seven computers spread along it, all of which had neon colored post-it's with unreadable messages all around the monitors. Which was the only thing she could see of those computers: Flat plasma monitors.
A guy had met with them at that desk.
"We are here because—", Max had started, but the guy had interrupted him.
"You are the new guests!" the blond and curly haired guy had said with a huge smile. "We were expecting you. So, anything we can serve you?"
The six of them had stared at each other. They were here because they had been sent here, not because they needed anything, really…
"We could use some cell phones," Isabel had said, showing her very impressive smile, one that earned every guys' favors. Predictably, the guy had disappeared, returning three minutes later with six boxes, all containing the latest in cell phone technology. Of course, this meant smaller buttons, smaller monitors, smaller everything, and a headache trying to decipher the whole thing.
She was by now half through saving all the others' cell phone numbers into her own, something that required patience and damned good hand-manipulation to pulse all the right buttons.
"There should be an easier way to do this…" Maria murmured as Isabel was putting her cell phone into her jeans' front pocket. Apparently, the Ice Princess had better coordination when it came to using small buttons and interminable menus on tiny monitors.
"Well, you can access them from your personal G.E.S. or your windows at home," a guy said behind her. Maria turned around in an instant. It was the same red-haired guy that had been attending at The Shop the day before. Maria felt her eyes going round, almost as if saying "you?", her eyebrows going up as well. Thinking that it was a little bit rude, she turned her surprise into a smile.
"Oh. Hi. Windows? What windows?"
"That's how we call the plasma monitors at your apartment. Since there are no real windows down here, well," the still stranger said shrugging, "I guess we think of those as our only windows to the world."
"Yeah? Can I call France from this?" Maria said, lifting her brand new cell phone. She already knew the answer before the slightly older guy in front of her said while laughing, "Of course not! But wouldn't that be great?"
"What would be great?" Michael said, coming from behind Maria, a slight frown on his face. Michael had been talking to Kyle about some points that apparently Dave had asked him, trying to corroborate that they both had said the same things, so Maria had been pretty much absorbed in getting a cell phone without worrying about her Space Boy. The look in the eyes of the red haired guy changed in an almost imperceptible way, but Maria knew the look: the one that said "you are not exactly single, then?"
"He was telling me that I don't have to access the numbers from here, but that I can write them from the computers at the apartment," then, turning to look at the guy, she asked him, "sorry, what's your name?"
"Allan," he said, extending a hand to Michael, obviously waiting for an introduction on their part.
"Nice to meet you Allan, I'm Maria," the blond girl said as her turn of taking Allan's hand came, "and this is Michael. And we were wondering—"
"Ha!" Maria was interrupted by that sole word from someone on the other side of the room. Exactly where Max and Liz were now looking at a short brunette with short hair, white skin and narrow eyes. A Chinese girl. "You owe me 10 credits, Allan. Here's my Liz and Max!"
The six teens stood as still as statues, looking randomly at either the short girl or the red haired guy. What was all this about? Michael was the first to snap, though it had only been seconds from the moment Maria had been interrupted.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Maria felt a strong arm around her waist, a protective gesture from Michael.
"Sorry," Allan apologized to them. "It's just a little bet we are having…"
"A bet?" Liz asked, looking at Max, and then at the Chinese girl.
"Well," the short haired girl said blushing a little bit, "we are used to have newcomers every two or three weeks, but by now we are so used to certain names, that we are just expecting them."
"Expecting them?" Kyle and Maria said at the same time, both turning to look at each other.
"Yeah," Allan said, going behind the desk that the first blond guy had apparently abandoned. "It started around seven months ago. Groups of six people started coming. By the forth month, there were always common names like Michael," the Network Keeper said smiling at Michael, "or John, or Ben, that were always repeating themselves. So out of the twenty five most used names, we pick two randomly and wait for the next group to arrive. May Ling chose Max and Liz, while I chose John and Ann. So she wins," Allan said while typing something at one of the monitors by pressing the plasma buttons.
But Maria hardly noticed. That was really impressive. She could still remember Michael saying that a group of six would always be remembered, and apparently, Dave had thought exactly the same thing, because he had made sure that meeting groups of six was such a common thing down here, that no one would care. He had gone as far as making their names pretty common too. If leaks happened, well, it was going to be harder to pick their exact group among dozens who had similar names.
Maria had a renewed sense of wonder at the lengths Dave had gone and was still going to keep them here, and make sure no one thought it strange. It also made her feel trapped, and cold, and apprehensive, and to her surprise, those feelings weren't all from her alone. Michael was letting her feel him as well. His grip had stayed firmly in place too.
"So, which are your areas of expertise?" May Ling asked, getting behind the desk as well, her narrow eyes fixed on Liz.
"We are not exactly experts…" Liz started to say, "We sort of have to still decide that…"
"Oh, you are that kind of guests; the ones that come for… how did the first group called it? You are here for the 'internship'?" the Network Keeper said smiling, though Maria had almost laughed at the word guests. "You are not that common, sure, but I would guess by your white cards that some of you are experts?"
Were they? The six of them stared at each other, again, but this time, no one said anything.
"So, we are also that secretive, hm?" May Ling said, a mischievous smile on her face, the kind that was meant to say and I'll find all those secrets too. "Anyway, if you are here for an internship, I presume you want the grand tour? See what will interest you?"
They all nodded, not quite enthusiastically, but they managed. What could there be remotely interesting in a place full of computer geeks? To her surprise, Michael was actually moving her forward, in an uncharacteristically display of interest on his part. It shouldn't have surprised her, really, not after this morning.
Michael hadn't exactly let her feel him as Liz felt Max, but Michael had had the courtesy of letting her know that he was okay. That was it. And of course, she should be thankful he had done as much as that… But the other thing that had slipped through that connection was a mixed feeling of fear and determination. One that was pretty much the same one that Liz had felt from Max, if Maria had been able to tell that.
The difference was that Maria did know exactly what Michael was setting his mind to: Dave. She had known it from the moment he had started to tell them about his meting with the oh so powerful Dave, how he had known about people from his childhood, and that annoying way of getting around the big question: What the hell did he want from the wonder trio?
She guessed Michael had taken as personally as it could get the fact that Dave had known so many things about him. Michael hated to be predictable, and half of the time the only thing predictable about him was that he was going to be unpredictable. He hated being known so well, especially by strangers, and he wanted his enemy to know exactly how that felt. This was going to be a long stay, no matter how short the time they actually remained in that place, Maria decided right that moment.
They entered the room that was beyond the lobby space, May Ling at the front and Allan at the rear. The room was pretty large, twice the lobby size, lined with black beeping computers that looked like lockers –servers, she would recall the name later from scenes in movies- and a wide screen was at the end of the room divided into little images of cameras all looking into the outside world. It was all still covered in snow, Maria saw. The other thing she noticed was that the room was really cold too.
"You told Jeremy that you have met Dave?" Allan said, a little bit too rushed, almost as if unsure of asking that, but not being able to restrain himself.
"Please…" May Ling said, rolling her eyes at him. "Every group tells Jeremy that, and no offense," she said turning to look at them, "but no one gets to meet the Dave just for an internship. That just isn't possible."
Well… you would be surprised at what is and what isn't impossible around us… Maria thought, catching a small smile on Liz's lips.
Allan blushed, though it was hard to tell because the room was also dark. "This is the control room," Allan said, trying to change subjects now that May Ling had mocked him. "This screen shows the main outside areas. An alarm goes on if anything taller than 3 feet passes in front. Which means that even a 3 feet tall green alien would be caught on the security system," Allan joked. They laughed nervously. Sure, Maria thought, but what tells you that those are the only kind of aliens out there?
"So," Michael asked, in a seemingly casual tone, "What's up with you and this Dave guy? Why the fuss?" True. They knew there was this mystery around the guy, but hadn't William told them that he didn't know about that secret identity thing till recently? So, it wasn't some global knowledge that Dave was this elusive guy… at least not for everyone who worked for him. As far as they knew, only the Network Keepers were chasing him.
Allan and May Ling looked at each other, frowning. Almost as if they couldn't understand the question.
"You don't know who Dave is? I mean, what he does?" May Ling asked, half surprised, half suspicious.
"Big boss, big company, big secrets, many interests…" Kyle said, summarizing in one phrase pretty much everything they knew. Oh, and add to that kidnapper of half aliens and Co., please.
"And you don't know why he's the big boss, with the big company, with the big secrets and how he keeps all his interests under the microscope?" Allan said, leaning over the only desk from which the controls to the screens were. Allan turned to look at May Ling, his eyes just as suspicious as hers.
"We only got an offer from him, that's all," Isabel said, frowning, making it sound as it wasn't a big deal if they didn't want to tell them all those facts. Of course, the six of them were pretty much dying to get to know a little bit more.
After a moment of deliberation, May Ling finally gave in. "We don't know that much about Dave," she said, "He's the best at breaking computer codes. Breaking security systems, bank accounts, governments classified information. That kind of thing. He gathers information from just about every place on the planet that has a computer on it. He's also the best at keeping his own systems untouchable. No one has ever been able to reach him, though he certainly has reached us…"
"He's like our real life Morpheus, you know, from The Matrix?" Allan said excitedly. Max glanced at Michael almost with an annoyed look, rolling his eyes at him. Michael only smiled. Had Maria missed some conversation between those two?
"The reason we are here," said May Ling, moving her head slowly from side to side as if saying don't pay attention to him, "is because we were able to break his level five code. So the prize is being recruited. We also got our offer, you can say. Of course, only the best can actually work at one of these underground things."
"I take it that breaking level five codes is difficult then?" Michael asked, embracing Maria from the back. Michael was getting anxious, so he was simulating it by that motion. Maria didn't care. She loved having Michael so close, and knew that Michael enjoyed her closeness too.
If May Ling and Allan had been drinking, well, most of the drink would have probably been on the floor by now. They had practically choked themselves with Michael's question.
"Difficult? Difficult he asks!" May Ling said, in a melodramatic tone –Maria knew the tone just too well; she had been using it since she was 7 years old.
"There's only one more level to break," Allan said, all serious now. "The unbreakable six. It is rumored among Network Keepers that if you do that, you'll get to meet Dave himself. We are at it all the time, but not even when we do group attacks, does it work. But once…" Allan said, his eyes getting dreamy, "once we messed with one of his level five internal codes…" May Ling had gotten the same dreamy expression. The six teens only blinked.
"Come, we'll show you!" Allan said, walking to a door next to the one they had come in. Maria turned to look at Michael. What were they going to see? Some stupid computer program? Green lines falling on a computer's monitor? They followed the other two, who had already disappeared into the other room.
This one was well lighted, and it certainly looked like the place a computer junkie would be. There were around ten plasma monitors lined up around all four walls, each separated by a small wood division. The desks were also wood made, and very large. There were computer books of just about every size and color everywhere, chip bags, soda cans –both empty and unopened- papers and once-paper-now-ball papers, towers and towers of CD's on and under the desks, all kinds of action figures from computer games, some printers and scanners, walls that were just falling apart with every single poster there was about The Matrix along with games, and, Maria guessed, Japanese cartoons. And last but not least, four guys and one girl all looking at the furthest monitor at one corner. They were so consumed by what they were seeing that none of them noticed the newcomers.
Apparently, neither May Ling nor Allan noticed them either, because they went directly to the wall they had in front, and there, where nothing was put under or around it –not even an empty chips bag or a lonely CD or a Neo picture- was a paper sheet on a frame. They moved closer to get a better look. It was a letter, written with an old fashioned typewriter.
"Well done. You've effectively messed with the time controllers and made your beloved administrator go crazy. I'm impressed, maybe you'll get to level six one day… Thanks for showing me my mistake. D."
And that was it. No date, no personal signature. Just four lonely numbers at the bottom of it, 1305. Both Network Keepers were staring at it as if it were the Holy Grail. Which was exactly the opposite of how the six of them looked: Bored and completely unimpressed.
"I take it that was written by Dave?" Max said, finally breaking the silence, scratching his right earlobe.
"Yes!" Allan said, "We know it's from Dave not only because it was sent directly to us, and the fact that we couldn't mess with the time controllers any more, but his numbers are there too. You know what I mean, his numbers?"
Six pairs of eyes unglued themselves from the framed white paper and looked at Allan saying NO, "Oh, of course… it's his hacker signature. 1-0-3-5. Every time he has broken a code, he leaves that behind. That's how we know it was him."
"Couldn't anyone else know that and write you? It's pretty stupid if you ask me." Michael said, annoyed.
"Of course not!" May Ling said, defensively, "Only a level 5 Network Keeper knows that!" And now us, Maria silently thought, not that she saw any advantage to that. After all, they all knew Dave on a shake-hands basis, didn't they?
However, their conversation had finally attracted the other five people in the room. "You are talking about Dave?" the only girl from that group asked aloud, "Because our contact from Malaysia has just informed us that he's pretty sure that Dave is at his base right this moment. We are just waiting for a picture of him."
Maria snorted. Dave was keeping his word to Kyle, that was for sure. "When you talk to Jeremy next week, he'll tell you he has confirmed visual contact with the mythical Dave in six other places over three different continents. Trust me, I'll make sure of it."
Allan was already gone before the other girl had finished her line, but May Ling stayed in place. "Aren't you curious too?" Michael asked. May Ling only shrugged. "It may take hours before he sends that picture. Anyway, you obviously don't care about that and since you are not all that impressed with our great accomplishment of hacking into one of Dave's systems, I now know you aren't undercover Network Keepers either."
"Undercover?" Max asked, frowning.
"Anyone would die to know how we did it," May Ling said, guiding them outside the room with an annoyed look on her face. "We have known for two years now that Dave sends undercover Keepers to see what we are up to. If you ask me, that's cheating. He shouldn't know what we are thinking doing next just as we don't know what he's going to do next."
Join the club, Maria thought. If May Ling thought it was cheating that he sent spies on her from time to time, she would go ballistic if she had been followed, kidnapped and pretty much ordered into accepting a life or death offering four days ago…
By now, they were getting out of the first big room with the servers in it. "How did you find out about the undercover Keepers?" Liz asked, a thoughtful expression on her face. "I mean, wouldn't he be cautious enough to not let you guys know?"
May Ling shrugged again. "We just did. Another Network Keeper apparently surprised the undercover bastard, and let us know. We've been careful ever since. You know, what we say and how we say it…"
"So, you were suspecting us?" Michael said, his eyes still glued to the screen in the servers room, him being the only one that hadn't gotten out of there yet.
"We suspect everyone, nothing personal. Anyway, anything that interests you from this department? We truly don't see many white cards around this place and, well, it would be nice if at least one of you decided to be here…" May Ling left her words hanging. It wasn't till that moment that Maria noticed that May Ling's card was black.
"Why is your card black?" Maria asked, confused, "shouldn't you be able to go everywhere around this place?"
"Oh, yes, but Network Keepers only care about system stuff. We are not supposed to snoop around like White Cards like you do. We know what's going on just to a degree. Only level five projects. And we suspect that there are level six projects going on somewhere in the complex, since this is the most secure one and all… We can only imagine what kind of work people do behind so many doors."
Oh, you have no idea, Maria silently said, having the distinctive assurance that they were a level 6 project, whatever the hell that meant. However, her thoughts were shattered by the last thing she would ever think Michael would say: "So, what do you have to do to become a Network Keeper?"
--------------------------------------------------
"We can't risk it," Max said to Liz in an almost hushed tone, both lying on the living room's larger couch, both staring at the white ceiling. "If that camera can pick up something different from us, it might pick something different from you too, or Kyle. You can't go there…"
"But he doesn't know what he's seeing then?" Liz asked. Though Max couldn't see her, he knew Liz was frowning, deep in thought about what he had just told her.
"No… but I bet he has some pretty good ideas. Anyway, if he relates anything remotely alien with you…" Max left his words unfinished, just hugging her.
"He sounds like a nice person, though…" Liz said a minute after, caressing Max's hand. "Like he's really trying to get along with you guys… It must be difficult for him…"
"It sure is difficult for us…" Max said, sighing. It was just too weird to have someone asking them, so openly, about their powers.
"Was it difficult with me?" Liz asked, turning to look at him. "I mean, when I started asking all those questions," Liz said smiling, blushing a little bit. They had been so young then, so innocent.
"I had actually practiced that one," Max said, smiling at his wife. "I knew you were going to ask sooner or later, so… It was different. It was you," Max said looking at her. That moment in time seemed now so, so far away.
"You know, now that I'm thinking about it," Liz said, her skin getting a redder tone, "I never finished asking all those questions… it was a pretty long list, you know?"
Max arched both eyebrows. "You still have more questions? As if I had any secrets left for you!" Max hugged her a little bit tighter, making Liz laugh and wince at the same time.
"You are still sore?" Max asked, relaxing his embrace.
"Let's just say that exercising and laughing do not mix well… It'll go away, sooner or later…" Liz re-accommodated herself by Max's side on the couch. "You know, Ray was really worried that we might feel something wrong and wouldn't be able to reach each other… Sometimes I think he's terrified you or Michael will tear this place apart because he said something wrong to either me or Maria."
"He better keep thinking that then, because tearing this place apart would be the first thing we both would do if something was wrong with you two, or with Kyle, or with Isabel." And Max wasn't joking. He couldn't really picture it in his head, but just the raw emotions that situation aroused inside him were enough indication as to what they would do.
"I know," Liz said quietly, "so don't ever leave me out again, okay? For one moment this morning, I truly thought… I truly thought something was terribly wrong with you. If you had kept me out of the connection for one more instant…" Max felt Liz's apprehension through their connection and closed his eyes. It didn't matter that he had done it because of her safety and health, Liz just didn't see it that way. His wife turned to look at him, putting her weight on her arms, over his chest.
"Max, our connection is the only way I have—no, that we both have to know the other is okay, here, out there, wherever. Without it… I can't even remember how it was before you, and this morning I got a very nasty reminder. I don't want to feel that coldness again, okay?" Max lowered his eyes. But what if—
"If something is wrong with my health," Liz said almost as if reading his mind, "or if those headaches come again, we'll figure it out. But don't just close off on me, or I'll be the one tearing this place apart." Max smiled at her in a way of saying: I'm so defeated by you. Liz returned her own I know I have defeated you smile.
"Well, at least Jake would be thrilled to see you do something…" Max said in a teasing tone, his muscles relaxing a little bit from today's tension.
Liz frowned. "You know, I was surprised you haven't done anything but play cars and talk these two days, but I think I know what he's doing."
"You do? Because frankly, Isabel was saying something about that when we were coming to the Cafeteria at noon…"
"I think he's gathering information. You know, before he plans the actual tests," Max winced at the word, but because Liz was now resting her head over his chest, she didn't really notice. He knew he had to grow out of that habit every time he heard the words lab, experiment, test, subject and project, but so far, he had failed at that.
"That may be," Max said, thoughtful. "I wonder what he's going to ask us to do though… He seemed quite disappointed when I refused to heal under… a controlled situation or whatever." Max felt the same emotions he had when Isabel had asked him what he would do if Jake could convince him. So much was at stake with that sole power.
"It really bothers you, doesn't it," Liz said, placing her hand over his.
"Of course it does. Your safety is at stake. And Kyle's, and who knows what other people. We don't even know if in six months those children from Phoenix are going to start sparkling around… I just hope I haven't made their lives… like ours…"
Max knew that in six months those kids were going to plague his dreams, and his days, and his thoughts. It was a different thing, alright, because healing cancer was a whole lot more difficult than closing a bullet wound, more consuming and definitely more exhausting, but was there any difference when it came to changing someone? He surely hoped so. But there was nothing he could do about that. What he actually could do was leave this place before that six month mark hit. In six months they would have a very good idea of what to expect. A time to make decisions again, he guessed.
"You gave them life, Max, just like you did with me and Kyle, and Valenti." Liz's voice came reassuringly through the fog of his mind. "Your touch changed us, but in more ways than you can imagine. They'll be fine, we are fine too Max. Don't worry about that."
Oh, I won't worry about that yet, Max silently thought. He had way too much in his head right now to worry about problems he would have to face in the near future. Nope, his plate was full, as it was now.
"Did you know what Michael was up to?" Liz asked out of the blue, changing the subject, trying to take away his own dark thoughts.
When they had left the Network Keepers Base that afternoon, pretty much shocked at what Michael had requested about getting an "internship" or whatever at the Keepers place, Maria had abruptly stopped in the middle of the hall, outside their apartments.
"You are so not going to become a computer junkie! What the hell do you know about computers in the first place!" Maria asked, her entire body sending vibes of confusion and disbelief, the other four equally eager to hear his answer. But Michael had just opened his own apartment's door, and had pulled Maria inside, the rest of the group following swiftly, Kyle closing the door behind him. Clearly, Michael didn't want this conversation on the corridors' security system tape.
"Who said anything about me being a computer geek?" Michael said defensively. "All I want is to spend a few days with them and see what the hell they know. After that, I'll be more than happy to get out of there. Anyone can fake interest in computers for a while, that doesn't mean you have to actually know a thing about them!"
It was so obvious, but Max felt a little bit relieved. Michael's actions were understandable now.
"Oh… sure… for a minute there, you just scared me…" Maria said, losing her rudeness.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Michael asked outraged this time. Max had smiled, Isabel had smiled too, but Kyle hadn't been able to suppress a little laugh. Maria kept silent for a whole minute.
"It's just that I can't picture you sitting all day in front of a computer, that's all… it's not you."
That was true. Michael was so not the computer junkie type, no matter how much he loved computer games. That was as far as Michael would go with cracking codes, in fact.
"It took me by surprise as it did the rest of us. I wasn't expecting Michael to take any kind of interest this soon, especially not one that involved computers…"
Liz smiled. "No, not that, I meant, what did he tell you about where he was at lunch time. I mean, his lunch time. Before he met with us at the Cafeteria."
"You didn't go to the kitchen for Tabasco sauce," Max had said to Michael when they were settling for diner at his apartment early that night.
Michael had glanced at him while opening some chips. The two of them were alone in the kitchen while everybody else was talking in the living room. Max knew that he had to approach his best friend alone if he was expecting a true answer.
"No, I went to find a part of Maria's present," was all Michael's answer. Max had frowned in surprise. "Something Dave actually suggested. That's why I left early, if that's what you were wondering too."
"And he didn't sound too happy about it, either," Max finished telling Liz the small exchange of words. "I mean, that it had come from Dave or something…"
"Dave suggested something to Michael concerning Maria?" Liz said, lifting her eyes to him, amused. Max didn't blame her, he had been equally astonished to hear that.
"He didn't tell me what, but I got the feeling that he's not so convinced about it. Like he's still undecided. All I could get was that he didn't want Maria knowing it either, so I guess he's considering the advice seriously." No, Michael hadn't been precisely chatty about his whole meeting with Dave, but there had been something about Maria, Max was sure, that had set an inextinguishable flame in his best friend's eyes. That flame that ensured that Michael was dead serious about uncovering Dave's secrets. Max knew that Dave wouldn't have dared to use Maria against Michael, but maybe in that weird exchange of information they had had, Michael had gotten that impression.
Whatever it had been, Max trusted Michael with some inner strength, or energy, or intuition or something. Max trusted Michael on some basic level in the fact that Michael could get to know whatever he wanted about Dave, and about this place, and about their enemies and allies in general. And though Max didn't want to admit it to himself, he had a vague memory that in another lifetime, that had been one of Michael's most valuable characteristics too. Apparently, something that hadn't passed unnoticed by Max in either of their two lifetimes, and certainly something that made Max trust a good deal in Michael's judgment regarding these things.
Because whatever Michael got to discover about Dave, or about this place, or about the motives behind the offer they had accepted, would be essential for their future lives.
TBC…