Loving Destiny

Disclaimer:  These characters do not belong to me, but to the writers and producers of Roswell

Spoilers:  After Chant Down Babylon, changes happening where Max is successfully rescued, and Michael was the one who broke up with Maria.

Pairings:  You'll have to wait and see!

Pronunciation Guide:   Sentris Onaxis  (SEN – tree OH – nax – sis)

Author's notes:      Queen Fadilia Kedar: Max/Isabel's mother

                                        King Alaric Kedar: Max/Isabel's father

                                        Andaria: Tess' mother

                                        Radim:  Tess' father

                              Kedrans: race from which Royal Four descended

                                        Iturians: race from which Khivar descended, and overthrew and killed Zan and the Kedrans

                                        Cerideans:  special core ops of the Iturian army, mostly psyonics and telepaths

                                        Kaptar's Jewel:  constellation in the Antarian's star system

                                        Yun's Garment:  Aurora Borealis - Northern Lights

                              Saren Dari:  desert plain on Antar

Chapter Fifty Three

***

We conceal it from ourselves in vain--we must always love something. In those matters seemingly removed from love, the feeling is secretly to be found, and man cannot possibly live for a moment without it.

                                                                                                      -  Pascal Blaise

***

There must be a way out.

Kyle didn't believe that his time would end like this.  It was something out of a dream.  If he hadn't been tied up he would have pinched himself and realized it was all a dream.  As his eyes darted around the iron cell.  Everyone had been placed in the jail except Isabel.  It worried him that she had been separated from the rest of them.  From the sounds of their captors, they didn't seem like the investigative type; rather, they seemed more likely to torture and experiment on her.

It was all so terrifying.  Kyle didn't know how to make heads or tails of the situation.  He didn't really even know what they wanted.  Their kidnappers definitely seemed like military, but there was something about them, which made Kyle believe they had something specific in mind for Isabel and Max.  He had this gut feeling that these kidnappers were very different from the FBI agents who had been chasing after Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess; they wanted something other than proof that they were aliens.

As he rested uncomfortably against the bars, his thoughts drifted to the others - Tess and Michael - worrying about how they were possibly faring.  In his opinion, nothing could possibly be worse than the position he and the rest of the group were in right now.  Or at least Kyle hoped it wasn't.

~~~

"So did you talk with her too?" Tess asked hesitantly; she peered up from the thin journal-like scroll to see Michael standing in the entranceway.

"She talked with me, yeah."

He was reserved and enigmatic.  As Tess watched him cross the sparsely decorated room, she couldn't help but wonder what they spoke about.  Her conversation with Fadilia had been less than light, and unexpectedly serious and deep in a frightening way. And as Michael sat down on the tan, leather chair, which was positioned near her bedside, she surmised his encounter with Fadilia had followed a similarly intense tone.

"What are you thinking?"  She tilted her head slightly, as a curious puppy would, when looking up its' master, setting down the clear thin writing tool, Enime had provided her only a few hours ago.

"What do you mean?"  His brow was furrowed and the expression on his face was one of thoughtfulness and brooding.

He was definitely not in a good mood.

Tess sighed.  "Look Michael, I know you aren't the chatty type, but I don't feel like dragging out, whatever it is, on your mind."  She slid her legs in front of her, crossing it Indian style, and sitting upright.  "You obviously want to say something, or you wouldn't be sitting in my room right now," Tess pointed out knowingly.

Michael set his jaw, meeting her wary gaze.  "It was nothing," he said dismissively.  "She wanted to know about Isabel...so I told her."

Tess bit her bottom lip and rolled her shoulders back, leaning back on her hands.  "You didn't like talking about her?" she asked tentatively.

He seemed hesitant to answer.  "Why shouldn't I like talking about Isabel?" Michael said curtly.

Michael's feelings for Isabel were quite obvious, but yet had been unspoken.  As she watched Michael's behavior and the way he was reacting to her questions, Tess couldn't help but wonder if Fadilia had managed to draw the strength of his feelings for Isabel from the aloof Second in Command.  It would have been a sight to see - Michael willingly expressing his emotions.

"Well if that's the case, then why are you getting so snippy?" she countered, eyeing Michael closely.

There was no reason for him to take his bad mood out on her.

"I'm not 'snippy'," he barked, folding his arms across his chest and sliding back into his seat.  It made him seem even more aloof and withdrawn.

"Yes you are."

There was a quiet pause.  Neither came back with another reply.

It was awkward, but Tess was resolute not to back down.  Even though she felt sorry for him, it didn't mean she would let him snap at him, especially when he sought her out.

"Why do you think she keeps talking about 'faith'?" he said tersely; there was edginess to his voice.  "I didn't think aliens believed in that stuff..."  His voice trailed off.

Tess licked her lips, trying to swallow the lump that had developed in her throat, which kept her from answering his question.  She pushed down her annoyance at Michael's bratty attitude and sighed.  "Why do you think that they wouldn't?"

"Well, I thought that aliens were supposedly highly evolved?"

Tess shook her head and groaned.  "I thought you would know better," she glared tiredly at Michael.  "Just because they might be different, doesn't mean they don't have the same questions and problems we do, Michael."  She leaned forward, until she could slide onto her stomach and rest her chin against the palms of her hands.  "You know how we think...how aliens think.  Do you think they're so much different from us?  Even if we didn't grow up on another planet?"

Michael shrugged.  "I just never thought that there would be this whole 'God' thing here too.  I only thought it was a human way of dealing with the unknown and an easy 'out' when they want to either blame or excuse the things that happen here...I mean, there, on Earth," he mumbled.  "It's weak to believe in that stuff."

Tess couldn't say that she blamed Michael for being so skeptical about the whole idea of a 'Higher Power' creating the infinite number of stars, galaxies, and planets - some 'Being' watching over them day and night.  It never crossed her mind much; she was too focused on her search for the other 'three' and mostly with Max.  But every now and then, the idea of an all-knowing, all-seeing God wasn't didn't seem like such a far fetched thing; not when she was an alien hybrid living on Earth and searching for her 'soulmate' because of their destiny.  No, sometimes God didn't seem so implausible.

"It's what got us here, right?"  Tess looked questioningly at Michael.  "I mean, their Prophecy, our destiny, is why we're here in the first place; it's why there are hundreds of people in this hidden mountain base, biding their time before they strike out at Khivar."  She blinked, stunned at the words that flowed passed her lips.  "Look," Tess sighed, pushing aside her wonder at the sudden outpouring of 'belief'.  "I'm not saying I believe that there is a 'God', in fact, I'm having a hard time believing it, but the more time I spend with these people, the harder time I'm having not believing some of it."

"But we know 'The Prophecy' is bull," he said irritably.  "Isabel and Max are back on Earth with their perspective 'husband' and 'wife', and there's nothing we can do about it.  So you tell me how it's possible to have 'faith'?"

Tess lowered her gaze and ran her fingers through her long curly locks, which she had brushed earlier, while preparing for bed.  "That's where I'm having a little bit of trouble," she groaned agreeably.  Tess lifted her head and pursed her lips,  remembering something regrettable she had said.  "I told Fadilia earlier that Max cured me of that problem..."  Michael looked curiously at her.

"What problem?"

"Of believing that he would really ever love me," she whispered, embarrassed at the words, which voiced her schoolgirl hopes.  "I told her that 'Max cured me of that curse', and then ran out of the room."

"You didn't!" Michael exclaimed in disbelief, as he leaned forward in his chair.  Tess nodded her head sheepishly.  "Wow, that's impressive, " he laughed.  "I thought I had brought out the big guns when I told Fadilia that I loved Isabel."

"But why would that shock her?" she asked curiously.  "I think she already knew that."

Michael seemed to take in her words, as he leaned back into his chair again.  He nodded slowly.  "I guess."

Tess rolled his eyes.  "So we pretty much got the same pep talk, huh?" she said dryly, stifling a smile.  "How pathetic are we?"  Michael looked up at her, as if it ask, 'Do you really want to know'?  Tess dismissed Michael's furrowed expression and slid off her bed, walking towards her desk.  "I'm tired of talking about them.  There's a lot more to be thinking about than 'the two who were' in our lives."  She reached over to her right and picked up a sliver-mounted frame, which had suddenly appeared after her visit with the Queen.  Within the embossed sliver frame was a picture of her and Zander.  She was kneeling by the seashore, and Zander, only seven months old back then, was clinging to her index fingers as he stood uncertainly on his tiptoes.  "Do you want to see a picture of Zander?"  Tess turned around and held the frame outward against her chest.

"Wow, that's Zander?" Michael said with a tinge of amazement in his voice, as he rose from his seat and walked to where Tess stood.  She held out the picture.  "He'll be one soon," she said wistfully, as she allowed him to take the frame.  Tess pressed close and stared joyfully over Michael's shoulder at her pride and joy.

"He's beautiful."

Tess looked up at Michael and studied his face, determining whether his words were sincere or said out of obligation.  His dark brown eyes looked down upon her with a gentleness she had never seen before.  She blinked and turned her gaze back to the picture and nodded.  "He is, isn't he?"

"We'll get him back," Michael said reassuringly.

Tess swallowed hard, feeling her shoulders and back tense at the mention of Zander's situation.  She hadn't heard any reports about her son in days; and though she had not had any more dreams about his torture, Tess was no more reassured of his safety, not when he was in Khivar's hands.  The Iturian could have done any number of various experiments or mind-altering procedures since she had returned to Earth.

"He's what I believe in, Michael," she said distractedly, accepting the picture from Michael.  "And no one's going to take him from me."

~~~

Michael strode down the dark corridor; his only guide was the narrow trail of lights, which were lit every other light.  It was evening and the colony conserved its energy by cutting off excess lights when unnecessary.  He still was unsure of the sharp twists and turns of the mountain structure, so he added a little light of his own to the situation.  As he approached his own quarters, Michael's thoughts trailed off to this evening's conversation.

Fadilia seemed wise and knowledgeable in her age, and as he recalled his conversation with her, Michael departing impression of the woman was that she truly believed in what she was saying.  In fact, she seemed to say it with such a confidence, like it wasn't a possibility, but an expected reality.  He had told Tess that Fadilia was weak to believe that 'God' would work it all out, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized, in his heart, he hoped that he was wrong.  Michael wanted to be wrong about God.  Because if he was wrong, there was still a chance to be with Isabel.

Michael sighed, rubbing his neck with his free hand.  He turned the left corner and saw the outline of the entranceway to his room.

There was a lot at stake in the next few days.  It was crucial that they turn the tables on Khivar as soon as possible - the more time he had, the bigger the possibility of more casualties, especially the ones closest to them...well, to Tess.

Michael pressed his hand against the silver imprint to his right, and entered his pitch-black room.  As soon as he walked in, the lights lit up, affecting a shadowy atmosphere within his quarters.  He flopped onto his bed and reached out to his left, grabbing the thin black wallet lying on the nightstand.  Michael opened the useless carry-on and pulled out of its worn sleeve a picture - taken at The Crashdown - of their last prom.  It was a sentimental thing to stare longingly at it; Michael knew that.  Everything about that time seemed so much simpler; now, he had a crumbling world to save, and he didn't even know how he was planning on doing it.

As he flipped onto his back, Michael propped a pillow behind his head and stared at Isabel's happy face.  She had gone through so much in that year.  Alex, who had his arm around her waist, was gone - a loss everyone felt.  Michael closed his eyes and thought about Isabel's big decision - had she made it already?  Was Jesse back in her loving arms?  Was she now free to live the normal life that she had always wanted?

~~~

Max saw darkness as he reached out for his sister in the void.  He had never attempted to contact anyone in his way before; in fact, he didn't even know if he was capable of doing it, but there was no other way.

As he fumbled around in the darkness, unable to acclimate himself to the ethereal sensation, Max groped for any link to his sister's conscious.

"Isabel?"

While he stood in the darkness, Max wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but the surroundings seemed to change.  As he walked into the silent abyss, his hands held out in front of him as if he might walk into something, the impenetrable darkness gave way into a serene blue tapestry.  The inscrutable, yet fluid cobalt blue vacuum encroached upon him, sealing him into an undefined space, with no boundaries or limitations.  It was as if he were standing on nothing.  There was no floor, ceiling or walls.

"Max?" Isabel's voice called in the distance.

Max spun around, attempting to pinpoint the exact location where the voice had originated.  "Where are you?" he asked tersely.  "Are you all right?"

"Help," Isabel's voice pleaded.  Her voice seemed to warble, as if filtered by some unknown element.

"How can I find you?"

Max was now frantically searching for his lost sister, pawing at his untouchable surroundings.  His mind raced as he tried to make contact with his sister.  Suddenly, as if his prayer had been heard, a dim light shone ahead in the distance.  The pinprick of luminescence served to guide Max forward and onto an unexpected, well laid path.  It weaved to and fro, as if he were snaking up a hiking trail, but seemed hapless and a waste of time as he could see it led straight ahead.  So Max, impatient at the pointless journey, decided to take a shortcut, straight across the winding trail and up to the source of the light, but as soon as he stepped off the firmly marked trail, all traces of the path and light vanished into the sea of blue.

He was unable to explain what had happened.  It was as if he'd stepped off a cliff, or someone had erased the trail.  Max spun around, searching for any explanation of the vanishing act that had been performed right before his eyes.  There was none.

Max swallowed hard, his heart now threatening to jump out of his chest - it beat so hard against him.  "What happened?" he cried out to Isabel.

"Max?  Max hurry.  They've come for us."

The vague, cryptic message only served to heighten his anxiety and alert him to the certain danger his sister, Kyle and Maria were in.  Max closed his eyes and let out a ragged breath. 

Everything was happening so fast.

Max took a step back, retracing his steps and suddenly found himself staring out at the minute ray of light, which beckoned him.  He looked down at his feet and saw a shadowed trail marked out for him once more.  After taking a breath, Max carefully followed the path laid out before him, unwilling to stray once again, for fear of losing a chance to connect with his sister.

"I'm coming Isabel," Max called, racing up the smooth trail.

"Hurry."  The voice grew closer with every step he took towards the light.

When Max was only a few steps from the light, which had suddenly become three times as large as it had been from the outset of his journey, a radiant flash of red enveloped him and he stopped dead in his tracks.

"So you have come," an ominous voice chuckled, as a glowing red orb floated in front of him, obstructing the only path to his sister.

Max narrowed his eyes at the faceless voice.  "Who are you?" he growled.

"You will see soon enough.  We will meet on the battlefield, where I will watch your slow, painful death..." the voice answered gleefully.  "Again."

"Why did you take them?" Max shouted angrily.  "It sounds like you only want me."

There was a silent pause, as the red orb hovered only inches from Max's face.  "It made things simpler," it replied.  "Besides, this makes things more interesting.  Everything has been such tedium since your return.  I needed to make it a trifle bit sporting."  The red orb began to tremble, as the arrogant voice laughed maliciously.

Max clenched his teeth and stared confidently at the wavering orb.  "Khivar sent you, didn't he?"  His fingers formed a tight fist.  "Or is that you, Khivar?" he said accusingly.

"Khivar doesn't have time to spend on a waste of breath like you, Zan," the voice scoffed.  "He has better things to do with his time...such as become 'Ruler of Sentris Onaxis."

Max felt his chest tighten as the words struck a familiar cord. 

Sentris Onaxis is the name of our system. 

"How simpleminded your buried ancestors were," the voice rumbled with delight.  "Your return was hailed as the 'Unseen's Revelation'.  Peace would reign over Antar at the One's Prophecy; and you, the Chosen One." 

"How sad the prophecy will be soon thwarted; and the true 'Beholder of Authority' will take his rightful place on the throne!  And I will be honored as the one who delivered your head on a silver patter."

Max felt a surge of energy fill him and as his nameless enemy continued to hover before him, taunting him; he reached out and grabbed hold of the floating object and brought it in towards him.  The globe brightened, as if in surprise at Max's unexpected reaction, and began to emit a warm sensation beneath his fingertips.  He knew what the intruder was attempting, and Max would not be turned back; he would get to Isabel, doing whatever he needed to locate his sister.

As the pulsing orb began to seer his fingertips, Max looked toward the fading light that was his sister and clenched his teeth in renewed determination.  Staring down at the orb, which had begun to pull away, trying to free itself from his grip - he only held on tighter.  Max focused his concentration on the ominous being, which stood in his way of reaching Isabel, and right before his eyes, the orb began to cool.  A swirl of colored smoke began to cloud the piercing red brilliance that had shone from the globe.  The heat, which had sent sharp pains through the palm of his hands and up his forearms, had subsided.

Max slowly let go of the essence of enemy and watched as it continued to hover uncertainly before him.  The orb changed colors before his eyes - a menacing crimson red to a foreboding ebony - and slowly began to implode, leaving a shower of black ash before his feet.

"Max!"

Max snapped his head up and saw Isabel running towards him.  She was pale and wet.  Her clothes clung to her body and her mascara was smudged with the appearance of dark circles under her eyes.  "Isabel," he gasped, as his arms welcomingly wrapped around her damp body.  "What happened?  Where are you?"

Isabel shook her head and swallowed, trying to catch her breath.  "They came out of nowhere, Max.  I don't know what happened," she said, her words muffled by her hand, which was pressed against her lips.  "They came in like a storm and knocked me out before I could stop them.  Did they take everyone?"

"They took Kyle, Maria, but left Jesse," he explained somberly.  "Do you know why they left Jesse?  Where did he come from?"

Isabel glanced furtively over her shoulder.  "I don't know," she said frantically.  "They were in these weird uniforms and they knew exactly who I was.  They are not FBI, Max."  She looked over her shoulder again, as if she were expecting someone.

Max smoothed her dripping wet hair back from her eyes and forced her to concentrate on him and answering his questions.  "Why are you wet?" he frowned, pulling at her clingy clothes.

Isabel looked down as if she had been unaware of her wet state.  "I don't know," she gulped uneasily.  "You have to find them Max.  I can't find my way out...I can't help them." 

The urgency in her voice frightened Max.  He had a feeling that her captor knew exactly how to subdue her and keep her from being a threat.  "All right," he said calmly, licking his lips as he pondered their situation.  "Do you know where you are?"

Isabel shook her head.  "I have no clue," she said tensely.  Once more Isabel looked back at the nonexistent surroundings.  "But it must be the same place Jesse came from.  You have to find out..." her voice trailed as the surroundings darkened behind her.  Isabel turned around within Max's grasp and stumbled back.

The surroundings had darkened; the serene blue veil had transformed into a horrifying blood red.  As Max gaped at the sight, he found the air had thickened, and it was extremely difficult for him to take a breath.  He pulled Isabel close to him and began to back away from the looming surroundings.

"This is one game you do not want to play," the voice boomed.  "I have your precious little family, including your human familial ties.  And if you value their lives, I suggest you leave."

Max felt a force pulling Isabel from his grasp.  As her fingers slipped from his grasp, Max watched helplessly as Isabel was being sucked into the red void that surrounded them.  Isabel strained against its overwhelming pull, but was unable to gain ground against the thickening red form that had begun to envelope her.  Max fell to his knees, as the dense atmosphere provided no air for his body.

"Isabel!" he cried, as he gasped for air.

~ * ~

"Isabel!"  Max swallowed hard and found himself on the ground with Liz and Jesse on either side of him.  He inhaled deeply, as if he had just run out of air, resting his forehead against the carpeted floor.

"Max, are you all right?" Liz asked worriedly.

He glanced up at her, realizing he was no longer within Isabel's psyche, and shook her head.  "She doesn't know where they are, Liz."

"What do you mean?" Jesse cried, his expression full of angst and horror.  "How can you not know where she is?"

Max closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair, which was wet from perspiration.  "She was out the entire time.  She couldn't give me any idea where she was," he sighed in frustration.  "I don't think she was even awake when I spoke to her."

"Then what are we going to do?" Liz asked tersely; her hands moved uncertainly, as she was unable to decide where to put them.

"Are we just going to let them die?  If that's what they want with her in the first place?" Jesse said accusingly.

Max looked up at Jesse.  "You're going to help us find them."  His voice lowered and his eyes locked with his brother-in-law.  "I swear to God, if I have to search every inch of your mind, I'm going to find out where they are."

~~~

I need to find a way out.

Isabel drifted in the dreamscape-like painting, unaware of where she was or what this henchman of Khivar's wanted.  The last thing she remembered was seeing Kyle and Maria being held back as one of the kidnappers plunged a sharp object into her neck.  It was black and cold where she was.  Isabel felt like she was floating; unable to grasp any point of reality in her unconscious, yet very aware state.  As she struggled to awake from the treacherous slumber, some unknown force held her there - it felt like she was drowning.

Maybe I am drowning.

~~~

The General stood in the vast darkness, with only the rhythmic waves of air escaping sounding within the large dome-like base, as a dim pulsing purple luminescence filled the range of his vision.  He was stunned by the beauty of it all.

Silently admiring the floating figure within the glass encasement, the General moved forward and pressed his right hand against the clear stasis unit, which had been built for such an event as this.  He peered up at the curvaceous human form, which apparently in human terms, was deemed beautiful and in her prime, caressing the smooth surface, as if able to touch the creature's salacious form.  How I have long awaited for this pleasure.  He shuddered in ecstasy.  So close, you are.  I have waited for this moment...dreamt of this moment; and I will savor each agonizing cry, your brother's helpless contempt, as you suffer your timely end.  The General tapped gently against the glass tubing and surveyed the thin black cords, which was the hybrid's only means of life within the liquid filled tank.

"Don't worry Princess Vilandra," he cooed soothingly.  "It will be over soon."  He paused and the corners of his thin lips curled slightly; as his eyes narrowed, his focus intent on the hapless captive, who was buoyed by the thin liquid compound within the glass containment field, he pressed his lips against the glistening surface.  "It will be all over soon."