Kyle, Maria, and Liz were still at the Crashdown talking, not worried about the alien invaders. Why would they be? After all, they were only human. They did worry about their friends, but knew that the three of them couldn't do anything to help their alien friends. Max, Michael, Isabel, and Tess, they had the powers, they had the ability to deal with things… or so their human friends hoped.
"I'm telling you," Kyle was explaining to the girls, "football is a great sport. You'd love it."
"Oh yeah, sure," said Maria, "a bunch of guys hitting each other and grunting like animals. What could be more appealing."
"It's a respectable sport!" Kyle defended.
"I don't know, Kyle," Liz started, "it's just soo… What's that noise?"
"Someone's coming," Kyle said.
"What we going to do?" Maria said nervously.
"Let's go to the back," Kyle suggested, "we can hide there."
The three rushed to the back of the Crashdown, the employees only area. They had heard the approaching person because the door had been propped open for just such a purpose. The person entered the café, walked forward a few steps, and then stopped.
After a moment the person yelled, "Kyle!"
In the back, the three teenagers were very worried to hear this. "What do they want with you?" Maria asked.
"And how would they no your name?" added Liz."
The man spoke again, "Kyle, you in here!"
"That's no alien," Kyle whispered, "that's my father."
Kyle confidently walked out to greet his dad, as Maria and Liz followed more cautiously.
"Are you all okay?" Valenti asked.
"We're fine," Liz said.
"This isn't a good place to be," Valenti explained, "now, nobody knows what's going on with the people in the silver jumpsuits, and…"
"Silver jumpsuits?" said Kyle, who was confused – not following his father.
"Yeah," Valenti said quickly, "that's what they're wearing. I talked to Hanson at the Police Station, he's agreed to feed the media that it's a cult of "alien worshipers," the report states that are dangerous, so everyone's staying inside. He's going to be investigating them though."
"We can't let them find out the truth," Maria said urgently.
"Maria," Liz said skeptically, "maybe it's best if we just stay out of this."
"No, all right look," Valenti said, "we can't any information leak out. I'll handle Hanson, he won't know what this is really about. In the mean time, I'd feel better if you kids were safe. Now Brody Davis of the UFO Center has disappeared, we don't where he is, but the Police are letting frightened and unsettled citizens stay there. Considering that we know the real importance of this threat, I'd like you all to be there."
"Okay," Liz agreed, "I'm sure it's best that way."
At the pod chamber Max had heard Isabel refer to the alien intruder as "Mom." He looked at her, and saw it too. He put his hand down, the forcefield dissipating.
"I can't believe this," Isabel said, both very nervous, and very excited, "is it really me?"
"Yes," said the woman, "it's really me. My name is Quandara."
Tess stepped up to her, "How can we be sure you are who you say you are?"
"She's got a point," Max admitted, "our enemies have always tried to trick us with deception. We need to be cautious."
"Max!" exclaimed Isabel, "how can you say that about our own mother?"
Max turned back and told his sister, "We have to be careful Isabel."
Michael now joined in the conversation, "We can't afford to trust her at all Max. There's no way she can prove she is who she says she is."
"I want to believe it," said Max.
"Is taking the risk of trusting her worth our lives Maxwell? This is war, 'we can't let anyone new in,' isn't that what you always say? Why doesn't that apply here?"
"Michael!" Isabel yelled, beginning to cry.
"Wait!" Tess cut in, "there is a way. Max, put your hand over her heart, if she's your mother, then the red, loving warmth of her heart will shine through – we'll know if she's telling the truth."
Quandara looked at Tess, surprised, "You know about that?"
"I've been able to remember things, more than the others," Tess explained, "I spent a lot of time with Nasado."
"And the rest of you didn't?" Quandara asked.
"No," said Max, "he died soon after we found him."
"Look," Michael interrupted, "can we just dispense with all the family garbage. Do the test."
"Always doing your duty," Quandara said, reminiscing it appeared, "very well, let us commence with the test."
Max held his hand up to Quandara's heart. He left it there for several seconds. Isabel was breathing heavily; Tess just looked down in disappointment, as Michael stared, intently watching this test. Michael was about to strike out at Quandara, believing she failed the test, but before he could speak, a red glow came from her chest, accompanied by a small humming sound. Tess looked up quickly, Isabel's eyes lit up with excitement, and Michael breathed a sigh of relief, not wanting to kill if he didn't have to.
"It's really you," said Isabel, running over to hug her mother, "I knew it was you."
"So," Quandara said, "what has been going on with all of you. I can't believe the Skins got Nasado already – I heard. We hadn't realized all of the complications that could occur by sending you to Earth."
"Nasado raised me," Tess explained, "and as an emotion-stuck human teenager, it wasn't easy for me to be raised by an emotionless man. The others had each other all those years, all I ever had was Nasado."
"What we really needed," Max said, "was all four of together with Nasado's guidance."
"I see," Quandara said, "I believe I understand now. We must keep these personal matters brief. There is a reason I risked my life to sneak aboard Kavar's ship to come here. Your lives are at serious risk."
"Yeah," said Michael, "so what? It's been like that all along."
"More than before actually," explained Quandara, "You see, after Max refused Kavar's offer at the summit, the people are no longer looking forward to your return to the thrown Max. They are unable to see that Kavar would have killed you, but I know he would he have. Here's your current situation: the people want all four of you dead, a public execution, which they would have got anyway – after Kavar found a way to get them to hate you upon your voluntary return. However, they don't know that there were two sets of pods. Ava is already at our world, and I think that Kavar is in a good position to capture the other two from New York."
"But there's one from New York that they can't capture," Michael said.
"Exactly," said Quandara, "they want you, my son. You were smart to lead everyone here."
"And now we fight here?" Isabel asked.
"Now we fight," confirmed Quandara.
"Oh Mom," Isabel said, starting to choke up, "there have been so many times I've needed to talk to you, and you weren't there. Please, we need to talk."
"About Vilandra?" wondered Quandara; "I worried that it would be difficult for you. I wish I could have been there for you."
"You're here now," Isabel said.
"Yes," said Quandara, and smiled, "I'm here now. Come child, let us talk, let us bond as mother and daughter."
Max walked up to Tess, "You knew about the test for my mother, and you never said anything before, why?"
"This about what Ava did isn't it?" Tess asked shakily, "because of that, you can't trust me anymore?"
"It's about not telling me about the test," said Max, not being forceful with her, but gentle.
"Look," Tess explained, "I didn't know if your mother was dead or alive. I didn't want to get anybody's hope up by having you thinking about it. The 'test' is a type of bond that every mother has with her first child on our world."
Several hours later, Max was still awake, he convinced Tess to get some sleep, and Michael had inadvertently dosed off. He saw Quandara, awake and alone, and approached her.
"Isabel?" he asked.
Quandara smiled and said, "Oh, she just got too tired and fell asleep. It's good to see you again, my son."
"You risked a lot to come here, and I can't believe it was just to warn us of dangers we could easily assess. You came here for something else didn't you?"
"Oh Xan," Quandara said softly, "you were always so stiff, and so inquisitive in getting information you needed. Always so firm, it's like you never really had a family or any friends. I did worry about you. But then you met your bride, and for the first time you opened up to someone and I knew you were okay… Anyway, yes, I did come here for another reason." She reached into a pocket of her jumpsuit and pulled out a small silver disc. "This tells the story of your lives before you were all killed. At the end it's very descriptive. This is information you need to know to fight your battles. The images on it are specially designed to trigger many memories for the four of you. It's holographic, all four of you together can activate it."
Max took the small disc, examined it, and then Quandara started laughing at his expression. Max quickly stopped, a bit embarrassed, he placed the disc in his pocket, and looked up at his mother. "Mom?" he asked, undecided as to whether he should call her Mom or Quandara.
"Yes," said Quandara.
"I don't know how to tell you this… if you'll understand it, but I'm not Xan, I'm Max. Xan is a part of me, but that isn't who I am, none of us are the people we once were. We're just as human as we are…"
"Alien." Quandara finished, a little amused, either by Max's hesitation or him being so naïve as to not know his own home.
"Yes," Max continued, "our other lives are a part of us, but right now, we don't know if we want to go back and reclaim those old lives. We don't know if we're ready to face what's waiting for us back at what is supposed to be our home. We have our lives here, and right now I don't think any of us our ready to leave the only life we've ever known. Your disc may be bring back old memories, but these won't go away."
"It's going to take some doing before you can get home safely, but you will, when you're ready. You have to."
"Maybe," said Max shyly, then he said, "Mom, there's one more thing we have to talk about, Vilandra."
"Ah yes," said Quandara, "Isabel was upset about that." She became very serious and very concerned, "Look… Max. You said it yourself; your other lives are a part of you. Vilandra is a part of Isabel. You must watch her Max."
The conversation was becoming intense. "But I trust her," Max said, she's my sister."
"You trusted her before and she used that trust to get everyone killed, even herself. I don't like it any more than you do, but that path of betrayal is a part of her, and if you ignore it, she will betray you again." Softening up a bit, Quandara continued, "Vilandra was a good person, but she fell in love, according to Isabel, well, you and Liz, so I'm assuming you know all about it." Max nodded, and Quandara kept going, "She came to the point where she would do anything for him. She set you all up to die, but when the actual time came… she couldn't do it to you. It was too late though; all she did was get herself killed alongside you, your wife, and your loyal second."
"I guess I do know what you're saying," Max said, "I've always wanted to trust her, but I've been keeping an extra close eye on her for a while now, even before I found out about Vilandra. You've provided us with the direction that we needed. Thanks… Mom."
"Is it that hard for you to say," said Quandara, Max looked down, feeling badly. Quandara leaned in and said in a low voice with a slight grin, "Would it surprise you to learn that ever since you were about 8 years old, you never called me Mom?"
With that she walked off, leaving Max alone. He slumped back against the rocky wall of the pod chamber, sitting down with his back leaning up against the back wall. He sighed, closed his eyes and went to sleep.
When Max woke up, Michael was standing up with his arms crossed, on the guard keeping an eye on everybody. Isabel was awake too, but was sitting in a corner of the room cross-legged and staring off into space. Quandara was awake, but also had positioned herself to the back of the room; she was kneeling down and looked to be meditating. Tess was the only one still asleep. She had found her way to Max's side; she was curled up comfortably resting her head on Max's left shoulder. Max felt uncomfortable with Tess there. He couldn't help but associate Ava's actions with Tess. He didn't hate Tess, but in the end, Max loved Liz still. He wanted to get away from Tess now. However, he did care for her as a very close friend. He didn't want to see her head against the dirty ground of the pod chamber, so he let her stay.
In a quick second the entire scene would change. They sound of someone entering the pod chamber could be heard. Max stood up as Tess awoke, and got help from Max in rising to her feet. Michael jumped to the alert, and Quandara and Isabel stood up as well. They all positioned themselves right behind Max, leaving their leader to deal with the intrusion. A small young boy entered the pod chamber.
"Nicholas!" exclaimed Isabel.
Michael held out his hand with the intention of killing Nicholas if he tried anything.
"Well, well," said Nicholas, looking at Quandara, "so you are here." Then addressing everyone, "It looks like we have a little family reunion going on here. I hate to interrupt, but I've been waiting for this historic moment for some time now. Plus, I can't wait to go back and get out of this child's body. Royal Four, I present to you, Kavar." Nicholas motioned to someone outside. Everyone braced themselves in anticipation of the coming battle. Nicholas smiled as the Royal Four and Quandara saw the shadows of three people entering the pod chamber.