Chapter Twenty Three
Courtney finished writing down her notes then closed the manila folder and shoved it in her backpack before going to her dirt bike to ride into Copper Summit to send the notes via Fax to Kevin. The left General had chosen a second in command and now it was time for her to take her place as second in command to the right General, this was the role she had been destined for and wanted more than anything.
She arrived in town and pulled her helmet up surveying the town; she'd been asked to observe and be aware of any possible threat that would harm them. So far they had been none, everything was carrying on like it should be. She briefly wondered if Connie and Griffin were having as dull a time watching over the newly-weds in Albuquerque?
*
"It's weird, ya know. I mean one day everything's normal and the next..."
"It's like years have passed and we've lived it. It's chaotic!" Tommy agreed with her as they walked round the mall together and she nodded
"The memories make it feel like everything's happened but it hasn't and that's what makes everything so hard. We end up together like it was planned and we have no say"
"Don't you want to be with Michael?" he asked as the two of them settled down in the food court
"It's not that, it's just... I'm supposed to have this future with him, I guess I just wish I had a say in all this"
"I see what you mean. But to be honest, I envy you that your life is so mapped out and planned. You have two wonderful kids and marry a wonderful guy" she patted his hand
"I'm sure you'll find someone to be with you" she told him, he just sighed
"I know but then there's all this stuff. The alien stuff, I'm sure it would get in the way if I tried to have a relationship" he shook his head and looked away "I guess for the time being I'm going to live vicariously through you and your relationship with Michael" he told her and she chuckled "I've seen Max and Liz start to get into it and they can get pretty steamy... what about you two? Do you get steamy? Do you like it?"
"God yeah... I know a lot of girls at school rave over Max but I've always liked Michael more. When we were staying with Langley we shared a room, it was nice sleeping next to him and we did make out a few times. I've not gone above and beyond yet, I'm still a bit worried about what being with an alien will be like. I would ask Liz but technically by the time they were doing it she was alien too so I'm not sure it counts"
"So you've thought about it"
"Of course I have. I mean... my first and probably only time is going to be with an alien. I wish I could have something to compare it with but I want him to be my first. God, I'm already talking about that step and we haven't even gone on a proper date yet!"
"Well then talk to him. Tell him about all this... have you told him about wanting to go on a date? I bet you haven't, I bet you haven't even talked about how the two of you are automatically paired up"
"But how can I? He seems to happy to be with me, he's so sure and doesn't have doubts"
"Did he say he didn't have doubts?" he inquired and she shook her head "Well then talk to him. You need to take time to learn to read him, he's Stonewall Guerin remember?"
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Come on, enough of this... let's do more shopping!"
"Deal!" the two of them stood up and left the food court to wander round more shops.
***
It was weird being here, almost as if he was replacing something that was long since lost, but it was good at the same time. He enjoyed the fact that it was warm and he could sleep as long as he wanted and there was a shower he could use free of charge. Then there was mom and dad... Diane and Phillip... his parents. He got out of bed, Max's bed, and slipped his arms into the crutches Topolski had brought round for him; he missed being able to walk properly but neither he or Max could heal this. It really was like it was meant to be and there was nothing he could do about it.
He spotted himself in the mirror and paused to look at how different he was now; he'd got rid of his soul patch but still had a rough beard, his hair was still short with tight phat dreds but his eyes... god, it was his eyes that were what was so strange to him. They were frightened and the once proud and strong, defiant person he'd been had long gone away.
"Zan?" called Diane as she entered the room "Ah, you're awake. How are you feeling this morning?"
"Okay, I guess, it's strange being here" he looked down "It'll take some time to get used to, this is going to be a big change from New York"
"We'll be here for you. You have a family now that's willing to look after you... and from what I saw the other day you have Tess" she smiled at him knowingly but he just sighed
"I had a family... mom, and all of them apart from Ava are dead. I couldn't save Lonnie but I could have fought back against what they did to Rath" he shuffled back and sank down on the bed "How can I be a part of your family when I couldn't even protect my own?"
"Hey... shhh" she whispered as she sat down next to him "You've been alone with them all your life haven't you? You were born and then you had to grow up to protect them"
"But it wasn't good enough! Mommy... I failed" he said so quietly and so sadly that it broke her heart
"You didn't fail, Zan, they were taken from you and you were locked up in that awful place by that monster! The death of Rath and Lonnie weren't your fault..."
"I... I can't stay here" he shook his head just as Isabel came into the room
"Morning guys... Zan? Mom? What's wrong?" she asked when she saw how broken her new brother looked. He looked up at her then fiercely shook his head
"I thought I could but I can't... I can't stay here! Not when she looks like Lonnie and Michael looks like Rath!"
"Zan..." began Diane but he shook his head
"Please... it's too raw. I just need some time... I need to grieve. I need to be away so I can deal with losing them"
"It's dangerous! Zan, the FBI is still looking for you!" Isabel pointed out "Where are you going to go? You're not exactly in a state to protect yourself"
"I still have my powers!" he snapped angrily "So I can't walk as fast as I used to be able to that doesn't mean I can protect myself! I just... I can't stay here when you look like her! I can still see her lying on the hood of the car! Her eyes... God! I can't be around you and see the same vacant expression in your eyes. If you're going to be my sister I can be here... be around you and see that! I can't! I have to go away"
"No... please, Zan" begged Diane "If you stay here we'll be help you through this. We'll support you"
"Mom..." Isabel came and sat down to Zan and held his hand "If he needs to go away for a while we have to respect it. It's something he needs and as a family we have to give it to him"
"But I can't lose him... not when I got him back... you're my children!"
"Got me back? This is the first- oh, oh no..." he trailed off as he looked into the older woman's eyes "This would never have worked. I would have loved for you to be my mommy but I can't be your son. Not when I'm a replacement"
"Replacement?"
"For Max, I look like him... I sound like him, but I'm not him. I am my own person but you can't see that. Isabel... could you take me to Tess's"
"Sure. Let's go" she said as she helped him up, she could practically feel his pain at realising he was a replacement, at realising he would only be second best. Like her.
Diane watched the two of them go and she felt like she'd made such a big mistake. Zan had needed her, he was alone in the world and he'd come to them for help and she'd been selfish and pretended he was someone else. All this time she'd tried connecting with Max as her son, he'd been so distant and she'd worked hard to try and make sure he was loved, but the thing was he was loved. He was surrounded by family and friends, which meant she'd completely neglected the people who had strived for her love and never received it. She was going to make sure that changed as soon as possible!
*
Laurie was surprised to see Isabel standing in the doorway when she opened the door but it all made sense when she saw Zan sitting in the jeep
"I'll get Tess" she said instantly and hurried off to get her housemate. She was surprised to say the least to see the taller blonde girl standing there
"Hey, Isabel, what can I do for you?" she asked politely
"My brother... he needs you"
"Max? What does...." she trailed off when she saw Zan sitting there staring at her, boring a hole into her chest "Zan"
"I... this is hard for me... what with Alex and all but I want to... I want to trust you. You saved Alex from Nasedo so I'm making a leap of faith. I know we didn't grow up together but Zan is my brother and at the moment I have more in common with him than I do Max so I'm entrusting you to him. You can help him, can't you?"
"I will try" she nodded then walked out to the car and got his crutches from the back seat. She could have helped him hobble inside but instead she let him walk on his own; he'd always been a strong person and she was acknowledging his defiance against his new disability.
Zan nodded at Isabel as he passed before heading inside on a course for Tess's bedroom. Isabel put her hand on Tess's shoulder and tried to show how much trust she was putting in the smaller blonde
"I'll take care of him"
"Thank you. I should be getting back, Alex is coming over to 'officially' meet my parents and there are some things I have to talk to mom about"
"Okay, I'll see you at school tomorrow. Good luck with your meal! Say hi to Alex for me" she said quietly. Isabel nodded before getting in the jeep and driving home.
She went inside, closing the door behind her, and paused when she saw Ava and Laurie sitting in the kitchen opposite each other with matching smirks on their faces. Tess bit her lip as her face went bright red. Her sister and house mate couldn't miss the opportunity to embarrass her
"Oh Zan!" Ava mimicked her twin "I'm so glad you're here! I loooove you Zan!"
"I love you too Tess!" Laurie answered, giggling as she pretended to be the dupe "Let's make babies!"
"I don't sound like that do I?" he asked from the doorway. All three girls fell silent for a moment before Ava and Laurie burst out in fits of laughter. Tess bit her lip from laughing along with them "I came down coz I was just wondering... that is... if you don't mind. Can I sleep with you? No! I mean... uhh... can we share the bed... or am I on the couch"
"It's a big enough bed" Tess answered, the other two girls were pretty much rolling on the floor laughing their heads off. It became so infectious both Zan and Tess started laughing "Come on... I'll show you were you can put your things"
"I don't... I don't have any things" he whispered sadly once all the laughing had died down. Laurie was starting dinner when Kyle knocked on the door then came in, he immediately went over to his girlfriend
"Hey man. How's things" he asked after he kissed her hello
"Good I... I'm good. I'm going to be living here from now on" he explained to the other boy
"Really? Should I be jealous?" he asked turning to Laurie who just rolled her eyes and flashed him her warm smile
"Maybe you could help him out? Kyle why don't you let Zan borrow some of your clothes for the time being? He hasn't got any and it's not like we can take him to the mall and replace what he left in New York"
"Are you sure you really want to do that? I mean there's a bit of height difference"
"I'll use my powers to alter them. I just want clean underwear" he answered him, Kyle's eyebrow shot up
"Laurie! My underwear too?" he complained, she glared at him then held out her hand and a small tub of spices came flying from the shelf they were sat on, she sprinkled some into the pan then tossed it and it went whizzing back to the shelf
"Yes, or do you want him walking round here naked?" she smirked and his eyes went wide
"Zan, this way" he said quickly and led Zan to Laurie's room where some of his things were stored. Zan watched as the shorter boy pulled out some clothes and used his powers to alter them
"How long have you been able to do that?" he inquired, Kyle had altered the clothes with ease like he'd been doing it for a thousand times before
"About a month or so. Ever since Liz gave us all her memories, I think she changed me somehow when she did it"
"Why are you so good at it? If you've only had them for a few weeks then you shouldn't be able to do that so easily"
"I don't know. I just can" he sat back and began to think about it. Ever since Liz had shown him the future he'd been able to do things and he'd never questioned it
"Does it bother you? That you can do these things? That you've become an alien essentially?"
Kyle looked up at Zan and for a second he did feel the overwhelming shock, horror and disbelief at becoming something different but it passed in an instant, he smiled then shook his head
"No, I thought it would thinking about it, but no... it doesn't. I have the powers now to protect my family and friends. I can protect my home and all the people I love... I'm alive and I have that ability. When I think of the alternative..." he shook his head again "Does it bother you? Being alien? If you could be human would you?"
"I... I don't know. I guess... maybe. If I had the chance to have a normal life where people wouldn't expect the world from me and I could live a life without being hunted then yeah I could be happy with that"
"I know it will be a while before you can get there but I think that life is possible. Max and Liz are doing something, I'm not sure what it is yet, but they've got a plan to make everything okay. It's why the came back... to give us all the life we should have had"
"Hm" he mumbled as he thought to himself before turning back to Kyle "So, what's your main power? What can you do?" Kyle smirked then held up his hand as it slowly began to dissolve like it wasn't there
"Invisibility baby! How cool is that?" he had a big grin on his face as his hand reappeared, Zan nodded impressed then reached for the clothes to get changed.
***
Courtney glanced over at Topolski who nodded back at her from her spot behind the shed, she turned and looked up into the sky before raising her hand and focusing. The clouds began to shift into words alerting members of the Royal Resistance what was about to happen. They waited for fifteen minutes before Topolski nodded at her again and then the first wave moved in. Anyone who wasn't wearing a blue shirt was to be wiped out, the only ones to be left alive was Nicholas and Greer.
It took two hours to wipe out the enemy skins, some of the Royal Resistance helped out and they had managed to capture Nicholas and Greer. They had been detained with their hands behind their backs secured with handcuffs made from depleted uranium and hoods covering their heads. Courtney was temporarily working for the Special Unit, they were going to get as many answers from Greer and Nicholas about Kivar and Antar using any means necessary.
*
"You have your orders. I want you to work with Courtney in recreating the atmosphere inside the two White Rooms" she said giving her orders to the chief scientist who scowled
"You want me to work with that thing?" he cried in disbelief
"No. I want you to work with Courtney who as of yesterday became a temporary agent in this unit. She's being diplomatic to ensure the survival of her world... and ours so if she can find it within herself to work with someone whose alien to her then you can do the same!"
"Yes, Ma'am" he replied finally, annoyed that what she'd just said made him feel contrite. He wandered down the hall to the lab where she was waiting for him while Topolski went to the observation room to the two White Rooms where Nicholas and Greer were currently housed.
"Hello Agent Banks, I'm Dr Abbott, I understand you're willing to help the unit recreate your home environment and atmosphere"
"Yes, it's all for controlling Nicholas and Greer. In theory if they are in our natural atmosphere then they will no longer need the husks and then we could use the repressing serum on them to keep them from using their powers. Anything to keep those two monsters from their strength is definitely a blessing" she said as she began writing down the formula for her natural atmosphere
"I never realised. A lot of the other scientists and certainly some of the agents thought it was just to make them comfortable since they were going to be here for a long time" he sat down on a stool and watched her as she wrote. Everything about her appeared human; her skin, her mannerisms, her voice... how many other aliens had fooled the people around them, he wondered?
"Oh they'll be here for a long time alright, hopefully long enough so they can be tried as war criminals and sentenced to death"
"I know as scientist who works for the FBI I answer to Topolski and therefore the President but I was just wondering who do you answer to?"
"Me, I answer to the Royal Family of Antar. It's a little ironic that all the members of that Royal Family were technically born here on Earth" she smirked then shook her head
"On Earth? Have they ever been to their home world?" he was curious to learn about the Antarian Royal Family and was even more surprised to find they'd all been born on his planet.
"Technically only the King and the Queen have been to Antar" she stopped writing and looked up at him and he could see the tragedy and shame in her eyes
"What happened?"
"They were separated and thrown into dungeons; he was tortured and she was raped repeatedly. God only knows how they survived"
"Did they escape? They must have done. Did they come back here to Earth?"
"Yes they did; they came back not just through space but through time as well. They melded with their selves in this present time line so the future they had never existed. Max and Liz have all the answers and they're doing everything in their power to keep the Earth from being destroyed and humanity wiped out"
"Why would they do that? Why bother about some planet with a few billion people on it? I mean, for God's sake, they are..." he trailed off when he realised who he was talking to. He'd forgotten for a moment; damn her for looking so much like him
"They are what...? Alien? They bother because this is their home, a home full of people they love and care about. They may be the rulers of Antar but that planet is just as alien to them as it is to you"
"I'm sorry" he apologised for his attitude and almost outburst. She continued writing and he sat in silence for a moment before his curiosity got the better for him once more "Can you go home?"
"To Henseifu?" she looked up at him, stopped scratching away with her pen
"Henseifu? I thought your home was called Antar"
"There are two stars in a solar system and five planets all with life on them. Antar is the largest planet and where King Zan originally comes from, it's considered the first planet while Henseifu is considered the third planet; that's where I am from"
"What are the other planets called?"
"Oduro is the second planet, Toiu is the fourth planet and Favowta is the fifth planet" she told him, before smiling at him "Are you done playing twenty questions or can I go back to work?"
"Oh yeah sure. Sorry" he apologised and he blushed "Um, just one final question. How old are you? You're wearing a husk right? I heard from Agent Topolski that they last for fifty years so I was just wondering..." he knew he was rambling but he couldn't help himself; she flustered him.
"I was nineteen, nearly twenty when I first put this husk on. That was almost fifty years ago"
"So that makes you... like seventy?"
"We live a lot longer than humans. I'm still incredibly young compared to the other people in the Royal Resistance. Working for the King like this is such an honour"
"Have you ever met him? The King?"
"Once, briefly, before I came here. He didn't really say much, I was given my orders by the Queen"
"What's she like?" he was so intrigued, he'd longed to learn about space and now here he was talking with a creature from another planet
"She looks so small and quiet but there's this whole aura of strength and power, I could feel how incredible she was and in how much pain she was in"
"Pain?" he frowned, why would their Queen be in pain?
"I've seen a lot of people who've been put through the wringer for information and come out on the other side... this woman... this Elizabeth Parker... Evans..." she smiled at her slip before she continued "I could sense that she went through something far more worse than any torture victim I've seen. It's like whoever did this to her took pleasure destroying her over and over again until there was nearly nothing left"
"You could sense this? Do you know what happened to her... who did it to her?"
"Yes, as a matter of a fact, I do. His name is Kivar and he's the person who we're fighting against" she said then got back to work signalling that it was the end of the discussion and she didn't want to be interrupted again.
*
Laurie nervously smoothed down her pale lilac jumper before fixing her long blonde hair as she gathered up the courage to knock on the door in front of her. She'd escaped from a mental facility and was preparing for interplanetary war yet she couldn't find the strength to face her new 'brother'.
She sighed deeply then knocked and waited almost hoping that he was out or busy with Maria or a thousand other reasons why he wouldn't be at home but luck was against her as she heard him coming to the door. He opened it, surprised to see her standing there
"What's wrong?" he asked immediately
"Nothing... I just thought I'd come and see you" she replied then shook her head "It was a stupid idea. I'll go"
"No, wait! You don't have to go!" he called out as he grabbed her arm "Please come in. It's not much, not even that tidy but..." he trailed off knowing that he was rambling; things were still awkward between them. He stepped aside to let her in and she brushed past him quickly "Do you want... tea or coffee? Something to eat"
"No, no. I just... I um I was wondering... I mean I came here to see if you wanted to do something familyish. You know, hanging around watching videos or grabbing a bite to eat... or whatever normal brothers and sisters do"
"Game of basketball then how about we go for tacos? I know a great place off 380" he suggested "Or we could do something you want to do... thinking about it, basketball is more of a guy's thing right?"
"No, not at all. I used to play basketball with my grandpa... our grandpa before he died. He absolutely loved the game, when I was ten we went to a game and I got a ball signed by Michael Jordan"
"Really?"
"Yeah" she nodded happily the her smile slipped from her face "But then uncle Bobby gave it away"
"Bastard" growled Michael "Maybe we can persuade Isabel to pay a nightly visit to uncle Bobby and make him pay for the crap he put you through"
"Maybe..."
"Maybe? These are the people who put you in the nut house just so they could live in the lap of luxury!"
"Yeah but they're still my family"
"So am I" he snapped and she gave him a small smile before she shook her head and grew serious
"I don't want to talk about Uncle Bobby and Aunt Meredith right now. There's other things I wanted to talk to you about"
"Yeah?" he asked as they reached the court and he began to dribble the ball he'd brought with him
"It's Max and Liz" she stated as she moved to tackle the ball from his grasp
"What about them?" he slowed and she stole the ball from him "Are they in trouble? Was their honeymoon trip a bad idea?"
"What? No. I think it was a good idea for them to get that before... before the war comes. It's not long now is it?"
"No it's not. We've got about a week..." he trailed off as the implication that in a weeks time they would be fighting for their lives, for their very right to live here on Earth.
"Somethings up with them. They know what's going to happen and for some reason they're not telling us... but it's not just that. There's something else going on and I'm not the only one whose noticed it. I think that they're going to do something and whatever it is they do successfully ends the war in our favour"
"Have you figured out what it is?"
"Not a clue. I've been spending a fair bit of time with Liz and while I can sense that this is really important I'm beyond figuring out what it is"
"You don't think that they... sacrifice themselves do you?"
"I don't know, possible, I'm not sure though. Liz seemed pretty upset about it at the meeting the other day and Max ordered us all not to ask about it" she sunk the ball in the net and Michael recovered it.
"What about Claudia? They'd never abandon her to become an orphan"
"Yeah but I have a feeling they'd sacrifice themselves for her, it's not as if there's not going to be anyone to look after her if something does happen to them" she pointed out "Anyone of us would step up to raise the Princess"
"I know but I hate the idea that one of us might have to. I don't want to lose either of them"
"Me neither" she said quietly "When they come back, maybe we should try talking to them about it?"
"I can't, they ordered me not to... wait! Oh, loophole! We can't ask because we were ordered not to but we could get Tommy to ask since he wasn't at the meeting and he isn't under the whole 'alien' rules thing like we are"
"Does that bother you that we seem incapable of certain things just because they say so"
"I do a little bit but I'm sure there's reasons behind it all" he recovered the ball and the fell into playing and talking about their childhoods.
*
Alex nervously knocked on the door with his empty hand, tonight he was 'officially' meeting Philip and Diane Evans. Isabel had invited him over after Max and Liz's wedding and she had called him last night to make sure he was still coming. On the phone she sounded really upset about something but no matter how he tried he still couldn't get her to tell him what it was.
Philip opened the door and Alex did his best not to grimace when he saw Isabel's father glaring at him angrily.
"Alex"
"Mr Evans" he replied politely then Isabel appeared
"Hey, come in. Dad, are you going to let Alex come inside?" she asked, Philip didn't say anything just walked away
"These are for you. You sounded a bit upset about something last night so I thought I'd try and cheer you up"
"Thanks... I was... still am upset..." she mumbled as she took her flowers "Alex, what if you found out that no matter what you said or did your parents wouldn't love you as much as you loved them?"
"Has something happened?" he glanced off in the direction Philip had gone before turning back to her
"I always thought that the thing that was stopping me from being a true part of this family was the fact that I was an alien and that I was keeping it a secret... but I was wrong. Both my parents know who I am, what I am, and all they care about is Max. Zan left because he figured out that my mom was using him subconsciously as a replacement for Max"
"Isabel..." he whispered cupping her face just as Diane appeared in the kitchen doorway. Isabel blinked away her forming tears then shook her head
"I can't do this to you. Not when I don't feel like a member of this family" she said loud enough for both her mother and Alex to hear "Let's get out of here. Take me some place where I feel like I belong"
"Isab-" began Diane but she just grabbed Alex's hand, pulled him out the door and slammed it shut behind her. Philip came back into the room a little surprised he heard the front door bang so loudly and saw his wife standing alone
"What's wrong?"
"I'm a failure as a mother. I couldn't be a mother to Zan because I was treating him like Max and now Isabel doesn't feel like a member of this family! I worked so hard on trying to make Max fit in growing up that I failed to notice how much she needed me!"
"Did Alex say this to you?" he demanded, he'd been moody about Alex ever since he found him in Isabel's room
"No" she shook her head "Stop with the cold front, that kid knows her better than either of us do. She's complete with him, that's why she asked him to take her away from here. Asked him to take her some place where she belongs. God, what have we done?"
*
Alex drove her to the CrashDown, in the months since Liz revealed the future it had become a home for all of them, it was like a beacon shining against the coming storm.
"Thanks for bringing me here" she whispered quietly
"That's okay. It was either here or the Pod chamber and I didn't think that that would be such a good idea since you'd just had a fight with your parents"
"You know me so well" she replied as a smile drifted onto her face. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Maria and Tommy sitting together at one of the outside tables surrounded by shopping bags while Michael and Laurie were walking happily up from the Park, a basketball under Laurie's arm.
"Do you want to go inside?" he asked but she shook her head, reaching for this hand
"Not yet, in a bit, I just want to stay out here for a bit" she told him and he sighed letting go of her hand to wrap his arm around her shoulder "I'm sorry"
"Don't be. Tell me" Alex urged and she drew in a shaky breath
"I'm scared. Scared that they won't love me... it's always been about Max. The most ironic thing is I have a feeling he doesn't care if he's apart of this family or not. It scares me because it makes me so angry; so angry that I might loose control and Vilandra might come out. I can feel her hidden deep down inside me... I just wish there was some way to make her go away. Every day it feels like she's getting stronger and I'm getting weaker; she's going to win I just know it and then everything will repeat itself! I'll betray everyone and Earth will be destroyed!"
"Isabel! Stop!" Alex shouted, she let out a sob before she swallowed all the rest "You are not going to turn into Vilandra and you are not going to betray us. You're stronger than that!"
"But my family... and what I almost did to Tess in the library..." she pointed out but he shook his head
"You're stronger than Vilandra. She's the one whose weak, she's alone. You have me and you have your family. You have Michael and Max and Liz and all of us. We're not going to leave you!"
"How can you say something like that? What with the... the war" she pointed out
"Forget the war... I'm always going to be with you, Isabel" he said then held out both hands "If you'll be with me"
"You know I will" she replied so softly he barely heard her, she put both her hands in his and formed a connection with him showing him the real her, all her doubts and fears and she saw his. There was a moment of electricity that passed between them and everything was perfect "I love you, Alex"
"I love you, Isabel" he replied and she could feel it through the connection. She felt the coldness of Vilandra get weaker inside her and she felt filled with so much hope for the future.
"Let's go inside" she said with a bright smile that lit up her whole face. They got out of his car and went into the Cafe where Michael and Laurie were sat at a booth, they sat down joining them and not too long after that Maria and Tommy came in carrying several shopping bags between them. They all sat together and for a moment they sat in silence, looking around at each other tensely
"Max and Liz come back tomorrow afternoon" whispered Laurie and the others nodded without saying a word. Michael sighed deeply and looked up just in time to see Kyle, Ava and Tess to come in. The three of them spotted the six sat in the both and they joined them; the newcomers seemed to sense the nervous atmosphere and they too fell quiet until Michael cleared his throat and reached for Maria's hand
"The war is going to start next week" he began "We're... we're going to be fighting for our lives..."
"I'm scared" whispered Tess
"We know that you and Zan survive" Ava pointed out "I wish I could get visions of the future too. I'm not as strong as you are"
"Believe me you don't want to see what I see" she replied
"I wonder how Max and Liz found this all out. I wish I knew what they knew..." Michael shook his head angrily "They know who wins and who looses! I think that the people who lose have a right to know"
"Would you want to know that you're going to die?" demanded Tess "Because I've been there! It's not nice... when I think about that other past and what I did... it's not nice. I understand why they're not telling whoever... looses. Maybe, though, maybe they haven't told anyone of us who dies because... well maybe none of us die"
"No, I saw the look on Liz's face the other day. Someone..." Maria trailed off as it hit her "Someone dies... if it's not any of us... then? You don't think that it's them? Do you?"
"I thought the same thing at the park but it can't be true. They're the King and Queen, we need them... what about Claudia?"
"If anything did happen to them... then we'd all raise her" Isabel said "I know both my parents and Liz's parents would care for her" she said then her phone rang "It's mom, I really should go home. I have to talk to them"
"Do you want me to drive you?" asked Alex and she nodded "I'll see you guys tomorrow when Max and Liz get back off their honeymoon"
"Bye Alex, bye Isabel" they said bidding goodbye to their friends.
TBC...