Title: Welcome
Author: Shannon (aka on Fanfiction.net, superCANDYgirl)
E-mail: slaygirl2000@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: I do not own Roswell.
Rating: PG-13
Category: M&M
Summary: Peter DeLuca threatens the group. Sorry, I can't give you a better summary without giving away everything.
Spoilers: Everything up to the end of season 2.
Distribution: If you want it take it, but let me know please.
Feedback: YES!!! Feedback is the food of
life. Or fanfiction at any rate.
Author's
Note: Takes place immediately after "Worse".
Air
Date: February 12, 2002
Isabel looked at her brother, a look that was a mixture of fear and regret.
"What? Skins? Shapeshifters? Freaky bounty hunters? Dupes?" Maria's eyes widened at her last suggestion. "Oh god, please, tell me Rath's not my father, that would just be too weird."
Isabel glared at Maria, effectively silencing her. "It's not any of those."
Kyle stood up. "Then what is it?"
Isabel said only one word. "Worse."
"Worse? There's something worse than all that? Well that's encouraging," Kyle muttered, sitting back down.
Everyone looked at her expectantly. Isabel hesitated. "He's government. Not FBI. Something else, I'm not sure what." Everyone cast a discreet glance at Max, who given his experience in the White Room at the hands of the government seemed relatively calm, though the fear was evident on his face.
"How is that worse? I mean, I thought aliens with super powers would be harder to deal with," Amy said, confused.
Isabel was about to speak, but Max interrupted her. "It's worse, because they have unlimited resources, spy equipment, any other number of things to use against us. It's worse, because they're human. People notice when they die."
"People are getting killed now?" Amy cried, her eyes wide in shock.
"No one's getting killed," Michael said, quietly but firmly. Maria knew he was thinking about Pierce, his eyes had that haunted look he'd had for months after it happened. She placed her hand over his, and he gave it a little squeeze.
"I can't believe my father's with those nuts hunting you people!" Maria exclaimed.
Isabel finally got her chance to speak. "That's not why it's worse. Well, it's part of it, but there's more. And he's not your father. Not really, anymore."
Everyone waited for her to continue, and when she didn't, Maria spoke up. "Look Isabel, while I appreciate a flare for dramatics as much as anyone, this isn't really the time. Now, are you going to tell us what the hell you saw in his head, or you going to keep being cryptic suspense girl? Cuz if you are, I'll just go beat the information out of him myself." At everyone's shocked expressions, Maria shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry. Hormones and stress don't make a good combination."
Isabel sighed. "You know how Larek would invade Brody's body with his mind, and control him? Well Khivar did that to your father. For eight years, almost non-stop. He took over about six months after your father left you, and only let go of him after Pierce got to be head of the Special Unit." This news came as a shock to everyone.
"But Khivar's not in control of him now, right?" Michael asked.
Isabel hesitated, again hating to be the bearer of bad news. "Not technically, no. But after all that time sharing his body, Peter DeLuca's not really sure who or what he is. Some of Khivar's knowledge and powers stayed with him, because of the length of his possession. It's why the government keeps him working for them, even though he's a bit of a nut job. He knows so much about us, about where we come from, even if he doesn't really understand most of it."
"What does he want with me?" Maria asked hoarsely.
"The baby. His official assignment is to get as many of us into custody for study as possible, but the top priority is you because of the child inside you," Isabel said softly. Maria swallowed hard, and both her's and Michael's hands went to cover her stomach protectively.
"How did you find all this out just from dreamwalking him?" Max asked.
"When you're insane, your mind's an open book because you have no real control over it. It was easy to find what I was looking for," Isabel replied.
Maria looked up. "Why did he want my mom? I'm assuming he was gonna try to take us yesterday, but that got stopped when Michael and Jim showed up. What does he want with her?" Maria looked at her mother with concern. She could see the woman was clearly overwhelmed by all of this.
"He blames her for his possession. He thinks that she drove him away, and that was what made it happened. And when Khivar took over his mind, he started thinking of her as an enemy. Mix anger and spending eight years sharing your brain with a guy who's policy is to eliminate your enemies, you wind up with some twisted ideas. He wants her for vengeance, that's all. Like I said, the guy isn't playing with a full deck anymore," Isabel shrugged helplessly. She felt bad for Mrs. DeLuca, she really did. She had just found about all this alien stuff, and now she was right at the centre of it.
"So what do we do?" Liz asked.
"We take him out," Max said. He didn't like it, but he really didn't think they had any other choice.
Michael looked up sharply. He didn't want to be responsible for another death. But as much as he hated to admit it, it probably was the only way. If they didn't kill him, he would kill Maria, their child, and who knows how many of the others. Before Michael could say anything though, Max spoke up.
"I'll be the one to do it," Max said. His voice was shaky, but his tone was determined.
"No way," Michael protested. "It should be me." Maria looked at him, her eyes big, and filled with fear.
"If there is one person who shouldn't do it, it's you," Max replied, shaking his head. "You've already been through this once, I can't let you again. Besides, you have a family to protect. If you get killed, or arrested, what good will it do them?"
Michael looked at Maria, and knew that Max was right. He would do anything to keep Maria and his child safe. He would kill Peter in a second if he came for them, but he couldn't go off on some kamikaze mission. "You're not going alone," Michael told Max in a tone of voice that said it was not open for argument.
"I'll go," Kyle volunteered.
"No," Isabel said. "It's me and Max, and that's it. No one else." Kyle, Liz, and Jim all looked like they were about to protest, but a look from Isabel stopped them.
"Fine," Max said standing up and taking control. "We'll deal with this. For now, no one goes anywhere alone, understand?"
Everyone nodded, and stood up to leave. Michael pulled Max over to the side. "Max, he's after Maria. Get him, or I'll go after him myself." Max nodded in silent understanding, and Michael left with Maria.
Maria had just turned the Jetta onto the street of their apartment when the back two tires blew out.
"What the hell?" she said, both her and Michael getting out of the car. Then she was knocked off her feet by a blast of energy. Screaming, she fell to the ground. Michael grabbed Maria and put sat her on the ground between him and the car, shielding her as much as possible. The barrage of fire continued. Michael fired random energy blasts into the darkness, but he couldn't tell where the other person was. Giving up on the offensive, Michael used his powers to create an invisible barrier around him and Maria, as they ran for cover in their building. Whatever had attacked them had apparently given up, and they made it to their apartment without incident. After quickly checking to make sure no one was waiting for them inside, Michael put up a shield to keep anyone from getting in. He turned to Maria who was clutching her stomach and breathing heavily. The energy had hit her on the hip, and he quickly healed the wound that had been left there. After checking to make sure the baby was okay, he cupped her face in his hand, and looked into her eyes.
"We're leaving," he told her. She nodded tiredly, and went to pack a bag.
Isabel and Max spent most of the night trying to find Peter DeLuca, without any luck. From dreamwalking him, Isabel had managed to get the location of the hotel he was staying at, registered under a false name of course. Luke Peters. Very original. Apparently the insanity had also made him somewhat sloppy in his work. Though they could have figured that out based on the fact that he turned his official assignment into a vengeance gig. They checked the hotel, but he wasn't there. They tried a few bars in the area, and a couple of other hotels in town, but quickly realized they were on a wild goose chase. Frustrated with defeat, Max and Isabel returned home. Isabel agreed to try dreamwalking Peter again, to see if she could get any more information from him, but he wasn't sleeping and she couldn't get in. Max decided they would go talk to Michael first thing in the morning to figure out what they were going to do, but for the moment they should try and get some sleep. Thus, Max and Isabel both fell into fitful sleeps, haunted by dreams of alien hunters and white rooms.
Max woke up shortly after six in the morning. He found Isabel already awake, and they immediately headed for Michael and Maria's. When they got there, they were both surprised to see Michael throwing a suitcase in the backseat of the Jetta.
"Michael, what are you doing?" Max called, jumping out of his car, and running over to where his friend was standing.
"Leaving," Michael stated flatly, as he jogged back to the curb to pick up another bag.
"Leaving?" Max said angrily. "Michael, you can't just leave!"
"Watch me," he replied.
"Damnit, Michael! What about Maria? She needs you, to look after her and the baby," Max asked.
Michael looked at him like he was crazy. "Yeah, she does. Which is why I'm taking her the hell out of here. They attacked us last night, about 20 feet from here. And since he was busy trying to kill us, I'm assuming you two didn't have any luck finding him." Max cast his eyes to the floor guiltily, confirming Michael's suspicions. "They know where we live, Maxwell, they have a freakin' all access pass to our house. Now I'm not gonna sit around here and wait for them to come for us. I'm getting Maria someplace safe, and then we'll figure out how to deal with this guy." Max nodded, backing off. "You actually thought I would just up and leave her?" Michael demanded, outraged.
Max was saved from having to give Michael an answer that would only make him angrier when Maria came out of the building, carrying what appeared to be the final suitcase. "This is the last of them," she told Michael, tossing it in the trunk, and then slammed it shut. She looked at Max and Isabel. "Take care of my mom for me, will you? Let her know I'm okay?" Isabel nodded, and gave the girl a quick hug.
"Michael, where are you going?" Max asked.
"I can't tell you. I'll let you know when we get there," Michael promised. Max didn't like not knowing where the two were headed, but he could understand why Michael wouldn't want anyone to know. Less chance of being found.
"Be careful," Max cautioned him.
Michael nodded and checked to see if anyone was watching. Fortunately, at this hour there was literally no one on the streets. Placing his hand on the hood of the car, he concentrated and focused his energy. The others watched in amazement as the once red car turned a deep blue colour. The he waved his hand over both license plates and changed the numbers on them. When that was done, he climbed into the driver's side of the car.
Maria was already in the passenger seat. "I've got my cell," Maria called. "You find anything out, call us." Max and Isabel nodded, and Michael sped off.
Michael and Maria had been on the road for a little over two hours now. For the first hour they had stuck to busy, heavily trafficked highways, hoping that if anyone was following them they would be able to lose them in the sea of cars. For the last hour, they had been on near-deserted roads, having seen only three cars pass them. Maria had fallen asleep shortly after they'd left the highway, and continued to slumber peacefully in the seat next to Michael. Michael sighed watching her, wondering how anyone, especially her own father, could want to hurt this angelic creature. Michael was broken out of thoughts when another car appeared out of nowhere and slammed into the back of theirs. The impact jolted Maria awake. "What's going on?" she asked, her eyes still cloudy with sleep.
Michael gritted his teeth, and checked the mirror. The car behind them was preparing to hit them again. He pushed the accelerator to the floor, forcing the Jetta to speeds it couldn't have handled before he had used his powers to soup it up. "They found us," was all he said.
Maria closed her eyes, and braced herself. "Oh god," she muttered, clinging to the door handle and Michael's leg as if her life depended on it, knowing there was a good possibility that it did. The other car rushed forward again, but this time Michael swerved to avoid it and instead of the car hitting them head on it grazed against the back corner. Maria took a quick look at the road they were driving on. It seemed to run along the edge of small but steep cliff. When Michael had swerved, he had inadvertently moved closer to the guardrail. The other car now had enough room to pull up beside them, and was trying to force them over the edge. Michael was doing his best to counteract the effects of the blows of the other car, but there just wasn't enough room. He tried speeding up to get away from them, but the other car kept pace easily. Maria covered her ears as the side of the Jetta scraped along the metal railing, creating sparks and a hideous screeching noise. Maria looked over in horror as she saw the other car back away, then head for them at full force. Before the car hit, she knew they would go over the edge. She heard the crunch of the two cars crashing together, the snapping of metal when the guardrail broke, and Michael calling her name. Then everything went black.
Max paced anxiously around the Valenti's living room. Amy sat in a chair, tapping her foot nervously and glancing at her watch every five seconds. Jim stood behind her, absently rubbing her shoulders. Kyle sat with his head in his hands. Isabel had busied herself with making everyone tea. And Liz sat silently watching Max. A tight knot of worry and dread had settled itself in her stomach, and Max's pacing was giving her motion sickness. The only sounds in the room was the ticking of the clock on the wall, the clock that showed that it been over twelve hours and 46 minutes since Michael and Maria had left. And they hadn't heard a word from them since.
Suddenly, Max stopped pacing and announced, "This is taking too long." Everyone in the room jumped at the sound of his voice, and looked up. "I don't like this. We should have heard something from them by now."
Liz nodded. "Max is right, something's wrong." She looked over to where Amy was sitting. The woman looked paler and more tired than Liz had ever seen her. Which, given the circumstances, Liz could understand. All of this was a lot to take in, coupled with the fact that her daughter was in life-threatening danger, and it was a wonder Amy was holding up as well as she was. Liz wished she could promise the woman who had been like a second mother to her that everything was fine, that nothing bad had happened to her daughter. But she realized that at this point, there was nothing she could promise that Amy would believe, especially since Liz herself didn't believe it. But she felt she should say something. "Michael will take care of her," she told Amy gently. Amy nodded, and wiped away the tears that had fallen down her face.
"What do we do, then?" Jim asked.
Though the question was open to everyone, it was really intended for Max. Even now, everyone still looked to him to be their leader. Which was why Max hated to disappoint them. He tried desperately to think of something, anything, they could do, but came up blank. Max half-sighed, half-growled in defeat. "I don't know," he said to a room full of people, whose morale was at an all-time low. And he had no clue how to fix it.
Maria woke up with a killer headache. She groaned and reluctantly opened her eyes. At first she was confused by her surroundings, but the memory of what had happened came back to her, and she realized she must be in the new government compound for slicing and dicing aliens. Speaking of aliens, she looked to her right, and was infinitely relieved to see Michael next to her. He was unconscious, but he was breathing and he was with her, and for that she was thankful. Rubbing her head, she took in the room she was in. She and Michael were lying on a single bed that was little more than a cot. The room that held it was small and barren. It felt cold and sterile, and Maria shuddered a little. Across the room from the cot was a toilet and a sink. Apparently privacy wasn't a big concern here. Other than that, the room held no furniture. Maria glanced down, to see her regular clothes had been replaced with white scrubs, as had Michael's. And since both she and Michael had been unconscious since the crash, it meant that someone else had changed them for her. Oh god, she thought, feeling sick and violated beyond belief. Though she supposed that if having her clothes changed was the worst thing that happened to her in here she should consider herself lucky. Maria shivered, and hugged herself. The walls of the room and everything in it were white. God, Maria thought, what is it with these people and white? Honestly, would a little colour kill them? Why not yellow, or orange, or purple? No, it's got to be white. All the white was creepy and unnerving, and she supposed that was the effect they were going for.
Beside her, Michael stirred and groaned. He opened his eyes. "What the hell?" he muttered, looking around. "Why is it always white?"
Maria smiled despite the situation. She gently pushed a piece of hair off his forehead. "Morning," she said softly.
He looked up at her, and the relief that she was okay, that she was there was evident in his eyes. He pulled her down to him, and kissed her tenderly, almost as if he was checking that she was really there. Maria sighed, being in Michael's arms causing her to momentarily forget where she was. That moment was brief, however, as the door to the room opened and closed with a metallic click. A cold, uncaring voice said, "Morning lovebirds." Peter DeLuca stood smiling cruelly at them.
Michael pulled back, but didn't let go of Maria. They both stood up, trying to seem as defiant as possible. "Where the hell are we?" Michael demanded.
The man's smile didn't waver. "Somewhere where no one can find you and you can't possibly escape from, so I wouldn't even bother trying. If you do, your little girlfriend will be killed. Understand?"
Maria shuddered, and Michael pulled her closer. "What do you want from us?"
"I thought you knew that. We want to study you, and the child in her. Now, we weren't expecting the both of you, so only one room is prepared. Play nicely and don't try to fight, we'll let you stay together. Try anything, and the next time you'll see each other will be on the day of your execution. Do I make myself clear?" Peter looked between the two. Michael tensed, and his eyes flared with anger, but he said nothing, once again tightening his grip on Maria. Maria looked much the same way, but also remained silent. By unspoken agreement, the two realized that even though they despised having to take orders from this man, it was better to be compliant and together, then defiant and dead. "I thought you'd see things my way. The tests begin tomorrow. See you then." He turned and walked towards the door.
The sight of the arrogant bastard walking away from them after threatening Maria like that was too much for Michael. He couldn't help what he said next. "We have friends. They'll come for us. We took out the FBI before, we can do it again."
Peter paused, and looked over his shoulder at the pair. "Yes, I suppose you could. But you're not dealing with the FBI. The US government sent them once to do this job, and they failed. We don't make the same mistakes twice. You're playing in the big leagues now, kiddies. This is the CIA." He grinned evilly at their stunned faces. "Welcome."