Many of the characters within this story, and the universe they inhabit, are the intellectual property of Jason Katims Productions.

Roswell: Reimagined

Written by

Horatio Zedekiah Jaxx

Chapter 50: Watching the Watchers

The Roswell Thirteen first became aware that they were being followed on a hot mid-September day. Max and Liz went into the park, outside their high school, during a study break. While sitting there, in the grass, talking and reading, they saw two Deputy Sheriffs approach a parked van and call out the occupant. This event caught their attention for no more reason than the fact that they could see it. Curiosity motivated Max and Liz to peek in on the thoughts of all involved there. Shortly after reading the thinking of the man that the Deputy Sheriff had called out, they learned of a second man inside the van. A dozen seconds later, they learned that both men were agents of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and that they were in the act of video recording them. From the Deputy Sheriffs they learned something of importance as well. They learned that this was not the first van that they had seen staking out their school.

Max and Liz shared this information with the other members of their group of thirteen at their earliest convenience. In reaction to this, they all began actively scanning the thoughts of the people around them, especially people in parked vehicles. Within a week's time they had mapped a web of surveillance that tracked their movements and kept watch on their homes and their schools. They discovered that cameras, with high powered lens, and sound amplifying microphones were frequently recording them whenever they were outside.

Within two months' time, the thirteen had learned the names and faces of all the agents who were shadowing them. However, despite all of their mind reading, they still did not know why or to what end they were doing this. They were all eager to know the motivation behind this extravagant surveillance. They all knew that the base reason had to be because they were drastically different from the general population. What they did not know was how they came to be this way. Within two weeks of watching their watchers, they had all become desperate to learn everything they knew about them.

After three months of mind reading, all that the Roswell Thirteen had learned was that the watchers they could see and read knew less than they about what was going on. They were all little more than puppets who were simply doing what they were told. Not being able to get at the minds that were pulling the strings of these puppets had become increasingly frustrating to them all. The one thing they did learn was the name of their immediate commander. But none of them had yet to get close enough to read the thoughts of this Major Ryan Kawecki. And they thought it best not to do what was necessary to reach him for fear of revealing that they knew they were being watched.

Because of their preference for appearing oblivious to these OSI agents, the Roswell Thirteen forced themselves to be contented with just watching the watchers. They trusted that someone who knew something would eventually get close enough to have their mind read. In the meantime, what minor information they did gather was passed along between them telepathically. They never openly did anything that could reveal that they were different. And they avoided saying anything that suggested they knew they were being followed. The thirteen had no idea how long they could, or would, keep this charade going. All of them, minus Michael, were reluctant to leave their homes, and their parents. All were resistant to leaving the vicinity. And they all were interested in discovering what their watchers could tell them about themselves.

As time went on, the Roswell Thirteen grew increasingly unconcerned about their watchers. This condition was reinforced by the thoughts they were reading from their minds. It became quickly obvious to them that these people were under strict orders not to disrupt their lives. Gradually the Roswell Thirteen settled back into their routines, for the most part. All of them, minus Isabel, found comfort in this. The freedom to be a couple publicly gave six pair of them the feeling that their relationship would endure regardless of whatever else might happen. For Isabel, the status of being romantically unattached to anyone else made her feel isolated and alone. And the sight of the others, moving about as pairs, only aggravated this sensation.

Max noted Isabel's growing depression and tried on many occasions to lift her spirits. This he managed to do to a small degree, for brief periods of time. Her parents, Phillip and Diane Evans, noticed her increasingly sullen behavior as well. They inquired about it to Isabel and to Max, numerous times. But the answer they got back never seemed to be a match for Isabel's state of mind, in their opinion. Their feelings on the subject gradually focused in on the fact that their daughter had no boyfriend. This thinking, eventually, lead to an embarrassing conversation between them and their daughter. This ended with a loud, angry, emotional outburst from Isabel. Phillip and Diane were so unnerved by her reaction that they resolved to wait until after she passed through whatever phase, they hoped, she was in before broaching the subject again.

Phillip and Diane also came to a concession with regards to their son and Liz Parker. Shortly into Max's and Liz's senior year, they both concluded that the relationship between the two of them was too intense to try to discourage. They feared that their disapproval was pushing them together. This new position was greatly assisted by Isabel's confession that she had misjudged Liz. The sight of Isabel and Liz socializing from time to time gave Phillip and Diane cause to give Liz a second chance. Liz was welcomed into their home and she made good use of the opportunity. She charmed her way into their affections despite all their efforts to resist her.

Jeff and Nancy Parker came to a similar resolution with regards to Max. They still feared that he was a threat to their daughter's future. But they did not want to give him ammunition in this. Frightened that Liz might rebel against them and do the opposite of what they wanted, the Parkers gave Max permission to visit their daughter. This decision was helped by their determination to not be upstaged by Phillip and Diane. Here too, Max took full advantage of the opportunity. He ingratiated himself with the Parkers at every opportunity. Unfortunately his gift for cajoling others was not as adept as Liz's. Nancy Parker was frequently amused by his clumsy attempts to befriend her; just the same she kept a wary eye on him. Jeff Parker was not amused at all and distrusted him all the more for the attempts. Nonetheless, he felt obliged to endure him. Liz was a straight A student again. And regular, secret, searches of her room produced no more condoms.

The romantic relationships between the six couples, which made up the Roswell Thirteen, were hampered somewhat by the surveillance of their watchers. This was true more so at the beginning and less so towards the end. Often their public appearances were more performance than spontaneity. But they always knew when they were and were not being recorded. And as time passed, and they began to relax into their surveillance fish bowl, the spontaneity became more pronounced when they knew that they were truly alone.

The feeling of constraint, which came with this surveillance, was especially acute for Michael and Maria. Their relationship was much further along than the others. And the limitations that came with having their movements observed regularly were extremely frustrating to them, at first. It took them a couple of months to adapt to this. They started plotting their times and locations to enjoy each other's person with reckless abandon. Invariably this was either his or her home when the parent was away. By the end of these two months, they cared nothing for the fact that they were being followed. Their only requirement was that they were not being watched.

A factor that none of the Roswell-Thirteen were calculating into their acceptance of this situation was their dreams. Since their last, and only, merge between all thirteen of them, they were all having protracted, shadowy, dreams of an outcrop in the middle of the wilderness. The intensity of the dreams surpassed any they had before this. Much of what they were seeing in these dreams was lost to them in their waking hours. But the residue of it was always there. And the influence of it was equally present. Subconsciously, all of them were driven to stay and answer the call of this phantasmal entity. The pull of these dreams lured them through their senior year with its imperceptible effect on the decisions that they made. As time went on, the trancelike hold of the dream lulled them into an indifference regarding their watchers. None of them thought to buck the effects of these dreams until a startling piece of information came along.

I am so tired of this dust bowl. I'll be glad when these brats graduate and I can finally go home.

Max read this thought out of the mind of one of the watchers outside of his school just as he was speaking the words. He captured this thought during his second period math class, as he stared through the window at the van he was in. He passed it along to Isabel, Michael, Liz, Maria and Kyle during fourth period lunch.

We need to find that outcrop, Michael mentally projected across the cafeteria.

If we go stomping around in the desert they're going to become suspicious, Isabel projected back.

They're already suspicious, Michael counter projected.

What if nothing is out there, Kyle projected into the debate. What if these dreams are just a memory of something that once was?

We have to do something, Maria projected in her support for Michael.

If we start acting different they may decide not to wait, Kyle projected back. Doing the wrong thing could cost us the time we have left.

Isabel, Liz and Maria were clearly feeling ill at ease because of this conversation. Isabel's look of anxiety prompted an inquiry from Emilie, who was sitting across the table from her.

"You alright…?"

"Yeah… I'm just not feeling well at the moment," Isabel responded with a surprised look towards Emilie.

"Maybe you should go the nurse's office," Emilie suggested back.

"I'm fine… I'll be alright," Isabel insisted with more than a hint of exasperation.

The three young ladies seated at the table with Isabel took note of her unpleasant temperament and turned their attentions away from her.

Kyle, too, was having problems managing the telepathic exchange he was having and the vocal converse that was going on at the table where he was sitting.

"Yo, Kyle, what's up?" Scott loudly inquired.

"I've got something on my mind," Kyle suddenly reacted with a stern look at Scott.

"You want to share?" Scott questioned with a large grin on his face.

"No, I don't," Kyle sharply retorted with a scowl towards Scott.

A second after this, Kyle sat back in his chair, folded his arms across his chest and focused his attention on the plate in front of him. Scott and the others at the table quickly realized that he did not want to be a part of their conversation and began directing their comments to one another.

We have to meet, all of us, Max projected at the end of several seconds of thought on the subject.

We can't, Liz projected a second behind his remark. If they see us all together, they'll suspect that we're conspiring to do something.

That's just it, Max projected back with a solemn look towards Liz. We have to do something.

Max continued to look into Liz's eyes with a mixture of fear and affection in his own. Three seconds into this he projected an addendum to his last thought.

We graduate in two weeks.