Chapter Eleven

" Ok here's how it goes, " said Valenti " I think Thaman should become invisible and look around the perimeter, before we decide to go in "

" I want to go when Thaman goes in, " said Michael eagerly.

" I want to go in together too " said Max looking back at Thaman.

Thaman just nodded. " Whatever you wish, " he said.

Michael looked at Max and Thaman. What has gotten into him? It seems like he doesn't trust Thaman somehow. Has Thaman done something to make Max this way?

" I think that Thaman should at least look around and then tell us if it's secure. We all want to go in together, but what if there was some kind of trap down there. There's no use in all of us getting killed cause none of us could react fast enough "

" I agree with Jim, " said Thaman. " I will not go in until we have all established safety "

Max nodded in consent. He looked at Michael who just shrugged his shoulders. " Whatever, let's just do this already, " he said sitting back and taking in the scenery. He hoped that this wasn't some wild goose chase again. But then he had this feeling they were going to find something that was going to freak them out. He just sighed trying to clear his mind. Worrying too much would be more dangerous than being careless sometimes.

~~~~~~~~~~

" I hate just waiting here, " said Isabel pacing the room.

" They told us to stay here, " said Liz sitting on her bed.

" Then what are we supposed to do then? " asked Kyle

" We have to do something Liz, " said Maria.

" What can we do? " asked Liz

" I don't know, " said Isabel. She was now crossing her arms.

They all jumped when they heard a knock on the door.

" Who is it? " asked Liz

The door opened to reveal Jeff Parker. " Hey Maria " he said " Could you come down and start your shift now? "

" Oh my God I'm so sorry, I forgot I had a shift today " said Maria " I'm so sorry Mr. Parker "

" That's ok. Just get down there " he said. He looked at Kyle. " Hey there Kyle "

" Hello Mr. Parker. How are you? " said Kyle

" Oh doing ok. What ya guys doing up here like this? " he asked innocently.

" We're just all hanging out trying to figure out what we want to do, " said Maria

" Well where's the rest of your group today? " asked Jeff. He looked at Liz.

" They're not here yet dad, we were waiting for them "

" I wish you guys would one day use the door instead of the ladder, " he said closing the door behind Maria and himself.

Isabel looked at Liz. Liz just sat there looking at the floor thinking about what they were going to do. Her dad was already suspicious, she had to think of something quick.

" Well we could just hang out with Maria downstairs at least. Be seen and just hang out " said Kyle gesturing his arms towards Liz's door.

Isabel went to the door silently. Liz followed her as Kyle held the door for them. They all went down stairs.

~~~~~~~~~~

Thaman was in invisible mode again. He looked back at the jeep and saw the three red figures looking in his direction but unsure where he was exactly. He sighed as he walked around the café looking around carefully and stopping occasionally to check for another presence. Once he was sure there was no other presence he gave a signal to the other three. He showed only his hand waving at them. Immediately they jumped out of the jeep anxious. Valenti took out his gun in case. Max and Michael followed behind him. The door was sealed shut. Thaman waved his hand over the lock and opened the door to them and they all went inside.

It was dusty and over come with spider webs. It didn't look out of the ordinary. They looked at the counter, at the dusty counter chairs and the rusted kitchen. The neglected stove and sinks looked crusted and beyond repair. Everything was empty. It looked like what any other deserted restaurant would probably look like.

" There's nothing here, " said Michael.

" Yes there is " said Valenti looking at the floor. Max and Michael looked and saw fresh foot steps in the dirt. There were two different kinds of steps.

" Sally was in here, " said Thaman's voice. " There is something hidden here "

Max bent down and touched the footprints. All at once he was there. He saw Sally running frantically through the café and out the door. He stepped back surprised.

" What is it? " asked Michael

" She was in here and she came from that direction " he said pointing to the back room.

They all ran through the door. Michael touched the door first. He felt a rush of fear and exhaustion. Sally had stopped momentarily at the door to catch her breath, before she ran for the front door.

" What did she see that made her so terrified? " he asked as they got through the door. There was nothing in the room, it was totally dark. Valenti took out his flashlight as Michael illuminated his hand to see the room fully.

" There has to be an entrance here somewhere " they heard Thaman say. He was trying to sense another presence. Max was walking across the room when his foot caught on something. He tugged at his foot and a door opened beneath him. All at once Thaman winced in pain and yelled out in surprise.

" Thaman? " asked Max. " Thaman what's wrong? " he said trying in vain to see Thaman.

" I, I too many things present. Too many things going on here. Too much " he was grabbing his head. Flashes of people came running through his mind. He saw the looks of terror on their faces and the things that they were afraid of. It took all his strength to stay standing. After a few minutes he finally regained control and stood up. " We need to go in there, " he said

Valenti stepped forward first. " No Jim " said Thaman " I should go first. I do not think we are going to like what we see here "

They heard Thaman's footsteps go down the stairs. They heard a gasp and then nothing else. They both looked at each other and Max ran down after him. Michael ran after Max and Valenti followed.

" Good God " said Valenti as the four of them all stared at what was in front of them.

~~~~~~~~~~

" Mom? " said Isabel. Her mom never came to the Crashdown. " What are you doing here? "

" Isabel, " said Diane Evans. " I was just wondering if you've seen your brother "

" He's not here mom "

Her mom looked at Kyle.

" Mom you know Jim Valenti's son Kyle "

" Yes I do, " she said looking at Kyle with a suspicious look. She had never forgotten about the suggestive things he had been saying about Tess at Isabel's birthday party that time.

" Why are you looking for Max mom? " asked Isabel looking at Liz.

Liz was helping out at the Crashdown. She didn't have to help, but she needs to calm her nerves. As her mom was mumbling a response, Isabel watched as shook her head and mouthed, 'Get her home'. Isabel nodded.

" Mom? " she said getting her mom's attention.

" Yes honey? "

" I'm on my way home anyway. We can talk about Max when we get there "

" Ok sure honey I guess we could just go back home, " said her mom following her out the door into the car.

Kyle looked at Liz from the booth he was sitting at and grinned. He was trying to remain calm. He didn't know what to expect from the guys' visit to that freaky restaurant. But he couldn't let the girls worry as much as he did. Oh how he wished he was at home and meditate. He had to stop using his Buddha phrases in front of the others because he knew they all were on the verge of killing him, so he didn't offer anymore words of wisdom.

~~~~~~~~~~~

The inconsistent glow and crackle sound coming from next to them caught their attention. Max, Michael and Valenti looked at the glow. They could see the outline of Thaman's body go from invisible to visible and back. Then finally Thaman just reappeared.

" My powers do not work in here, " he said grunting. He walked forward, as the rest of them stood where they were.

It looked like a laboratory. It had that familiar green glow, like the Pod Chamber had. There were, what seemed, endless rows of jars full of things. Things like hands, eyes, legs, organs, and things both human and alien. In the other corner of the room were the remains of a human body who had just been cut up, probably to be put into a jar. Thaman walked past them all. He wasn't looking at any of them. He was walking towards the preserved dead body of an alien, centered in the middle of the room. The body had been dead for a long time, even the preservation chemicals couldn't help the peeling and discoloration of the body. The cause of death was apparent. Max could see the wounds on it's chest. He thought back and remembered that those same marks were on Nascedo before he dissolved in front of them that night.

Thaman could feel his anger flowing to his fists. He clenched his fists and threw a large jar of something to the other side of the room with hate. " AAH! " He shouted. He rested his hands on the counter next to the chamber and started breathing loudly. His eyes were fiery and red. But he didn't make anymore noise.

Max was the first to approach him. He had to close his eyes and not see horrible some of the objects in the jars looked. He reached Thaman and put his hand on his back. Thaman made no movements and just kept his head down. Valenti shook his head as he took all this in.

" Who is that Thaman? " asked Max.

Thaman didn't respond. He continued standing there with his fists clenched tightly together. Max could hear him breathe in and out slowly. " Nathan, my best friend "

Jim Valenti put his head down sympathetically. Michael stood there silent. Thaman sucked in his breathe and put his head up again. He looked at Max.

" We need to finish our search My Lord, " he said walking away from him. Thaman looked at the half cut up body without any expression.

" I think I'm going to be sick, " said Michael. He looked at Max, who looked just as sick as he felt.

" They were experimenting, " said Thaman calmly.

" For what? They already know how humans work " said Valenti.

" They were not testing for weaknesses Jim. They were making one " said Thaman suddenly aware of what they should be looking for. " Check everywhere. There is something that should be hidden " he said wanting to doubt what he was thinking.

" Wh, What are we looking for? " as he started looking around. Valenti ran to another corner to look around. Max stayed with Thaman.

" You will know when you see it, " he said not looking up. He was looking at his friend in the Chamber. No, he was looking through the chamber to look and see what was on the other side. He looked around at the bottom of the Chamber. He pushed a small loose tile and it popped out. " Over here my Lords " he said frantically taking the tile out. There was a finger print reader. Thaman tried putting his hand on it. But it was useless. He took Max's hand and then Michael's, but they were all declined. Thaman got up frustrated and he shoved some more jars aside and grabbed the table they were on and hurled it at the Chamber. His full force on it made the Chamber crack. Nathan's body, along with all the chemicals flew out. The three others jumped onto tables to avoid the flow. Nathan's body crashed into another table, lying limp on the floor.

" Thaman what are you doing? " asked Michael.

But Thaman didn't say anything. He continued to smash the wall behind the chamber. This wall was a lot stronger than the surface wall. He hit it a few more times before it began to crack. Max stood up beside Thaman and started to hit the wall. Then the wall cracked and fell at their feet, revealing another Chamber.

" What the hell? " asked Michael.

" Liz! " yelled Max pressing his face against the glass.

" That is not Liz my Lord, " said Thaman pulling him back. " This is her dupe and she is almost ready "

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" Oh Liz, we need some more napkins from the storage room. Could you please go get them? I've got to watch in case someone decides to walk in here " asked Maria as she poured more sugar into the containers.

" Sure " said Liz as she pushed the door. She saw a strange figure in the room. It's face was dark. She felt a rush of fear grip her as she realized that this was the figure from her dream. It had been a vision.

" Finally, you is gonna be with me " he said in that same cynical voice. He made a move toward her. She screamed.

" Get away from me " she said backing up into the door.

" You have no choice Liz. You comin with me " he said coming to the light. Liz was so stunned she couldn't move. She began panting loudly and her heart was pounding in her chest.

" You " she managed to whisper faintly. She tried to step back from him but he put his hand on her chest and she collapsed in his arms.

" Hey what are you doing? " yelled Maria. " What the hell? " she said as she looked at him. But before she could do anything he had shot out his hand toward her, causing her to fly across the room and crash into some glasses. Her body landed on top of some dirty dishes and she lay there in an unnatural position.

Kyle had heard Liz's scream. He grabbed the knife that he had been cutting his steak with and ran to the backroom. There was no one else in the Crashdown thank goodness. He ran in just as Maria hit the wall beside him.

" Hey! Over here you ass " he yelled hiding the knife behind him. The figure turned around and looked at him. " What the hell ?" he said in disbelief. The figure stepped towards him. Before he could reach Kyle, he pulled out the knife and cut his arm. He cried out in pain as he threw Kyle across to the other side of the room. Kyle hit his head on the brick and fell heavily on the floor.

The figure walked out the back door just as the phone rang.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

30 minutes later…

Isabel slowly walked through the empty Crashdown. She had just returned from making up a story, explaining to her mom where Max was. There was nobody in the Crashdown. She looked at the booth that Kyle had been sitting at but he wasn't there anymore. She didn't see Liz or Maria. The phone kept ringing and nobody came out to answer it. She didn't even see the cooks in the kitchen. She could hear the sizzle of now burning French Fries and boiling water. She ran to the back and swung open the door.
" Oh my God " she yelled looking at Maria and Kyle. Kyle was on his stomach looking over Maria. He had blood dripping from his hair. Maria was still unconscious. Her face was covered with small cuts.
" Maria? " yelled Kyle lighting slapping her face.
" What happened? " yelled Isabel hysterically. " Who did this? "
" Check to see what happened to everyone else " ordered Kyle pointing to the kitchen. Isabel hesitated. " Isabel go check " he said again.
Isabel ran to the kitchen and screamed. She ran back to him and Maria. " They're dead, they're all dead " she screamed.
" Isabel calm down " he said squinting up at her. He looked back down at Maria to wake her. He was in such pain. He could feel his head throbbing in pain from the cut he knew he had. He felt responsible for this. He was supposed to be watching these girls and look what happened? Maria was unconscious with who knows what kinds of injuries, and Liz was kidnapped. He was holding Maria's face. " Maria! Wake up " he said touching her cheek. He closed his eyes. He felt this weird energy in him.
" Kyle! " said Isabel.
He looked at her. Her eyes were wide as she looked at Maria's face. He looked down at Maria. Where his hand had been the scratches were healed. He snapped his hand back. " What the hell? " he said looking at his head. The sound of Maria stirring caught his attention.
Isabel bent down to look at Maria. " Maria? "
" Doesn't anybody answer the phone? " yelled Michael as he ran into the back room. He looked at the three of them huddled by the door. He saw Maria's half-healed face and the broken glass. He saw Kyle's head dripping from a gash in his head. " What the hell happened?! " he screamed. Kyle and Isabel moved aside as Michael grabbed Maria. He picked up her body and laid it on the couch, just as Max, Valenti and Thaman ran in.
" Tell me what happened " said Michael. Maria was slowly beginning to open her eyes.
" Who did this? " asked Max. He looked at his sister. She looked fine to him, just a little shaken up. " Where's Liz? "
Thaman hurried over to Isabel and grabbed her shoulders. " My lady are you all right? " he said.
" I, I'm fine thank you " she said flushing. Thaman examined her body before letting go of her. " I should check on the other people that were in here " he went to he kitchen.
" They're dead " said Isabel looking at him.
" Dead? " asked Max.
" What happened here son? " asked Valenti helping Kyle get up. He was putting some pressure on Kyle's head to try and stop the bleeding. He looked at Max. " Could you please? " he said
Max nodded and placed his hand over Kyle's head. He sucked in his breath as he tried to connect to Kyle. He tried to see what happened while he was healing him, but Kyle's mind was still cloudy from being unconscious. Slowly the cut healed and closed up, leaving a small trace of a silver handprint on Kyle's head. Max backed up from him holding himself steady on the wall.
He heard Kyle sigh as he opened his eyes again. " Thanks Maxy " he said. At least his sense of humor wasn't damaged. Max looked at Michael and Maria on the couch. Michael looked at him.
" You should do it Michael " said Max.
" I can't heal like you do "
" You can do it Michael, " said Max " She isn't cut up that bad. You love her. You can do it "
Michael exhaled as he tried to concentrate. He ran his hand over Maria's face and her cuts disappeared with his touch. He ran his hand slowly down her back. Maria gasped aloud as she opened her eyes fully.
" Where is Liz? " asked Max looking at Kyle.
Kyle looked at the floor. Max's eyes widened in horror. He looked at Maria for some assurance. She looked at him and started sobbing loudly on Michael's chest.
" WHERE IS LIZ?! " he screamed.
" They took her " said Thaman walking out of the kitchen. He had a grim look in his eyes.