Author's Note: Thank you all for your reviews. I didn't have time to really proof read this chapter. Please let me know if something is terribly wrong and I'll modify it. J

Chapter Thirteen

" I don't know how it happened! " cried Maria into her tissue. She looked absolutely terrified. " I had just gone to the bathroom and Liz had to go drop off an order at the UFO Center and the hardware store down the street. When I came out of the bathroom they were all dead. They were all dead! " she screamed.

" Its ok Maria. Is that all that happened? " asked Jeff Parker. He was scared out of his wits but wanted to sound calm. He was standing next to Nancy Parker and the Sheriff's Deputy writing Maria's report down in a notepad. The bodies were being photographed in the Kitchen, they already had chalk drawn on the floor. The knife lay beside the wall. The whole area was blocked off with yellow police tape. Kyle stood next to Maria, looking just as terrified.

Maria nodded weakly as she blew into her tissue again.

The Deputy looked at Kyle then. " What do you have to say Kyle? " he asked looking down at his notepad, ready to write what Kyle said.

" I was sitting at that booth over there " said Kyle pointing to the booth where his food was cold. " I was eating my steak and then I heard Maria screaming in the back room. I ran over to her and saw them laying there "

" And you didn't hear any screams coming from the Kitchen? "

Just then Liz came bursting into the Crashdown. " Maria what happened? " she ran over and hugged her friend.

" Are you all right? " she asked

" Oh Liz " said Maria relieved. " Liz I thought you, um I thought I was going to die "

" Liz " said Jeff holding out his arms for Liz. She went to him and she rested her head on his shoulder while Nancy Parker comforted Maria.

Kyle was looking at Liz in disbelief. This couldn't be Liz. Liz looked at Maria and Kyle and winked. It was Thaman.

" You're Liz Parker, " said the Deputy.

" Yes I am "

" Ok " he said looking back at Kyle. " So you didn't hear any screaming at all, or any suspicious noises? No sign of a struggle or anything? "

" No, the music in here was pretty loud. I barely heard Maria scream "

" Hmm " said the Deputy.

" Deputy I think you should let them get some rest now, " said Jeff " They've had a rough experience today "

" I think that's all I can ask them now anyway, " he said closing his notepad. The bodies were now on stretchers and being rolled away into the ambulances. He started walking away from them and passed by Kyle's table. " Oh Kyle "

" Yes " said Kyle looking at him.

" You were eating steak right? "

" Yeah " said Kyle

" So where's your knife? " asked the Deputy looking at his plate where only his fork lay.

" It looks like he dropped it, " said Liz pointing to the floor and squinting at the officer. She looked at the name on his badge, Marshall. A new one for the Sheriff's office apparently.

~~~~~~~~~

Marshall bent down and looked under the table. Maria and Kyle looked at each other with their eyes wide open. There was no knife under the table. Marshall picked up nothing and set it on the table.

" Sorry about that " he said tilting his hat.

" You'd better think before accusing a minor of killing three people with a steak knife, " said Nancy, her face was red with anger.

" I apologize Kyle, " he said embarrassed. He walked out of the Crashdown and started talking to the medics.

" Can you believe that guy? " asked Jeff " What nerve ". His wife and him were heading towards the back room. He turned around and looked at the three of them. " You guys just get out of here. I know you don't want to be here. We're closing the café for the rest of the day " He grabbed his wife's hand and they both headed up the stairs. He was worried. Would he ever be able to open the Crashdown again? Too many weird things have been happening here for the past couple years. He wasn't sure if people would come anymore.

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

" From the outside it looks human, " said Laric looking through the microscope at the blood sample. The rest of the group was looking at what he was looking at through the large monitor Brody had in his study room. " But it's the same structure as you are " he was looking at Max. " This is another hybrid ".

" Another hybrid? " said Max looking at the monitor. The blood was red but once you magnified the cells they were dramatically different from human cells. They had more DNA memo groups, and two nucleuses. That was probably why Nascedo had told them that they would use their human brains to the full potential.

" Yes " Laric answered.

Valenti looked at Laric, who was really Brody. He just couldn't get used to the fact that these aliens had the technology to use humans as telephones. He sympathized with Brody, who thought he was abducted and knew nothing of how Laric possessed his body.

" One that looks like you Max? " said Isabel.

" That's impossible, the other Zan was killed by Lonnie and Rath, " said Michael. " Ava told us what they did and about his dead body "

" But it looks like there's something wrong with his DNA structure " he doubled the magnification on the microscope.

" What's wrong with it? " asked Valenti

" It looked like the hybridization process was unsuccessful " answered Laric still looking through the microscope.

" It's almost as if he Gandarium wasn't used right "

" The first batch of hybrids were flawed. We could not get the combination right " said Thaman. He had just gotten back from Maria's house. Maria, Kyle and him had to go to Maria's house because Marshall had followed them. 'For Protection' was his excuse.

" Yes I can see that, " said Laric looking up at the computer screen. " You can see how you're made up. I'm sure you never really looked before " he looked at Max, Michael and Isabel. He looked almost proud at them while they had scared looks on their faces. " Look at a normal DNA strand and look at what yours looks like. You have multiple memo groups in your DNA strand. This means you can have infinite knowledge in your human brains " he looked at Michael " So you have hope "

Michael rolled his eyes but didn't say anything.

" So how does this help us? " asked Max. He wasn't looking at the monitor. He wasn't interested in what Laric was saying, even though it was important. He was just thinking about how to get Liz back. Nothing else mattered.

" Imperfections, what does that mean? What kinds of imperfections? " asked Isabel. She was looked at the monitor. She didn't know to feel. It was one thing to know that you were different but to have actual proof that you were made her very uneasy and paranoid. She looked at Thaman and he smiled at her reassuringly, like he knew what she was thinking. She found herself sighing when she saw him. How can he have such an effect on me? She asked herself. She shook her head. She couldn't help but feel happy that he was there taking care of everything. Seeing everything for them. After what happened earlier in the Crashdown, he had been so calm and gave everyone something to do. He took care of everything. He was just so great. All the things that were happening showed her how much they really needed him, how she needed him. She needed him? Stop thinking about yourself Isabel, she thought. Liz has been kidnapped and all you're doing is gape at the bodyguard. She almost didn't even hear the answer to her question.

" From what I can tell he's not doing so well. When they revived him it looked like his defects were multiplied in certain areas of his body. He must be mentally unstable. Look at the nucleuses of his cells. They're not duplicating in the exact precision that they should"

" What does this all mean? " asked Michael impatiently.

" He's going insane and his body is losing control " Laric was sitting back in his chair. " Frankly I don't know how he's still alive. He must have somehow figured out how to sustain his life "

" So he's dangerous. What about his powers? " asked Max

" He has powers just as you do but he's not as advanced as you "

" That doesn't say much " said Michael

" How dangerous is he? " asked Valenti

" Very "

" What about the clone of Liz that we saw at the lab? " asked Max " How is that possible? "

" Remember he's not like you, he's probably figured out a lot about you that you don't know. He may have figured out how to clone. Just as he figured out how to prolong his life. Or maybe he doesn't know anything and someone is helping him "

" We have to go back to Pepper's Café " said Max to Thaman. Thaman nodded at him.

" Be careful, you don't know what he's capable of "

" Zz, Zan? " said Liz trying to find her voice. " What do you mean you made me? " she was shaking uncontrollably. He was going insane. What does he mean by this? Was he going to kill me?

" Someone's been here and revealed your dupe " said Zan looking excited. He got up and winced in pain. He grabbed his head. He was having some kind of attack, his head was just above her lap.

" What's wrong Zan? " she said unsure of what to do. Tears were still coming down her face.

He clutched his head with his hands and then focused. She could see the pain pass from his face. He looked at her gently. This is not Max, she reminded herself when she saw the look again.

" Don't cry Liz. You're going to be all right " he said wiping her tears away. He smiled weakly at her. " I have to show you your dupe now " he said standing up and disappearing into the darkness.

" My dupe? " she murmured. She tried to move her face forward and watch him. She heard the click of a switch and the bright lights over head flickered on. The room was now so bright that she had to cover her eyes for a second. She saw all these jars full of different species. So many things perfectly preserved in their own labeled jars. Even in her horror Liz appreciated the neatness of the jars. Being a scientist herself she would probably one day have a lab like this herself. But the things in these jars weren't human and they looked horrific. Hopefully she wouldn't have anything like in these jars. She saw Zan on the other side of the room. He was standing next to what looked like a covered water tank. That was where that strange humming sound was coming from.

" Someone's been here and have exposed her " his husky, deep accent was so rugged. " But we'll be gone before they come back " he grabbed the covering and exposed to her what was inside the water tank.

Liz's eyes widened in disbelief. She saw this thing that looked exactly like her in a water tank like chamber. The duplicate looked almost finished. She could hear the thumping of the heartbeat. Her own breathing was getting very heavy. She looked at Zan.

" Do you like her? " he asked looking up at it admiringly. " She looks exactly like you "

" What have you done? " she asked. He walked over to her and untied her. He held out his hand for her and she grabbed it. Her hand was shaking uncontrollably.

" Look, " he said bringing her closer to it. She was now standing in front of her own clone. The clone looked like she was going to come out at any second.

" What happens when she's finished? Do you just kill me? " she said looking at Zan.

" No, no no Liz " said Zan " I would never even hurt you. Liz don't you get it? She's the decoy "

" What are you talking about? A Decoy? What for? " she said, she was surprisingly calm. Somehow her fear was gone. Why wasn't she worried?

" She's who I'm going to ransom when they warn Max about your kidnapping. "

" Zan, have you lost your mind, this will never work. Don't you realize that this is just insane? " she said she had this feeling that she had to protect him.

" This will work Liz, I'm going to save you and we're going to be together " said Zan looking at her. " Like we've always wanted Liz, just you and me. We can finally have a normal life "

" Zan, what are you talking about? " she said shaking her head. He really was insane. How could she live with him? Even though him and Max shared the essence of another being they were different in their ways. There was no way she could live with anyone but Max himself. This dupe could never replace Max, no matter what he looked like.

He looked at her with those eyes that melted her every time. She didn't say anything. " I had to kill a couple people to try and get it right, but I was finally able to get the DNA right and recreate you "

" How could you…? How…" asked Liz. Nothing could come out of her mouth. She looked up at this clone of herself. She should have been flattered, she was the first human successfully cloned, well in her perspective. She felt a shiver go down her spine. It was creepy, there would be another Liz Parker out there.

" I told you it was too risky to bring him back " said a cranky, deep masculine voice from behind them. Liz turned around to find three men standing there, on the other side of the lab. Zan stepped in front of her and looked at the three men.

" So this is what you've been up to " asked the figure next to the first one. The had guns in their hands. Not any guns that she had ever seen before. She thought that aliens used their powers instead of guns. She hid behind Zan, as she would if he were Max.

" Just give her up Zan " said the third figure. " We have to kill her now "

" You're not touching her " he said holding Liz behind him.

" What do you think you can do? " said the first figure. " You can't use your measly powers in here "

Liz bit her lip. How were they going to get out of this? Did Max know to come here? Were they on their way to save them? Would she and Zan be dead before they come? Would they come too late? Before she finished thinking she heard the first shot. Zan grabbed her and dropped her to the floor shielding her with his body. A lab station in front of them protected them. She heard the breaking of glass all around her. All the jars over head were shattering and the contents were falling to the floor. She could feel the glass and chemicals falling on her. The smell of the chemicals ran up her nose. A smell different from what she was used to.

" Oh God Zan " she said yelling over the noise. " We're going to die "

" No Liz. You won't die I promise " he opened a drawer full of Red Triangles. Liz's eyes widened at the sight of them. They were just like the one that almost had killed her, Michael and Maria. He grabbed one of them and activated it. He waited for the bullets to cease before he threw it in their direction. Immediately upon release the Red Triangle floated over to the three aliens and exploded. But the shooting continued a second later. Zan was about to grab another Triangle when the lights started twitching. Liz would hear something, like something was turned off. She looked up at the lights.

" What the hell? " said the 2nd voice.

Liz heard one of the aliens walk away from the others.

She heard a yelp as if someone was choking. She looked at Zan. They both poked their heads up to look.

" What the hell? " she heard Zan say. She was too focused on what was in front of her. The first alien was in mid hair, like an invisible force was holding him up by the neck. The second alien shot at the invisible thing but his shot bounced off Max's shield. She saw Max and her heart jumped. His shield's blue green moved in waves out from his hand, absorbing the shot.

" Max! " yelled Liz

" Max? " asked Zan

" Liz! " shouted Max looking at her with his soulful eyes.

The first alien was thrown across the room. He landed with a loud crash. When he tried to get back up Thaman materialized and threw what looked like a lightening bolt at him. He instantly vaporized on impact.

" Die you son of a …. " said Zan as he held up his hand towards the second alien and something like an energy ball came from his hand and flew at the second alien. It struck the alien in the back. Everyone saw the electricity run through his body as he dropped to the floor. Thaman was about to shoot him when Michael and Valenti came running down the stairs. Valenti had his gun out and Michael was panting.

" Did it work? " he asked bending over.

" Yeah " said Max, he was looking at Liz and Zan. Relief and confusion on his face. " Liz! " he called running towards her.

" No! " yelled Zan. The 3rd alien had emerged 6 feet away from him and shot his gun. Liz tried to put her hand out and try to shield them, but she reacted too late. She closed her eyes in anticipation of the pain she would feel in seconds. The pain never came. The force of the bullet caused Zan to fall back in her arms.. Max put his hand out towards the 2nd alien and he flew across the room. Thaman shot another lightening bold at him and he disappeared.

" No Zan " she said as he collapsed on the floor with her. His head on her knees. Alarms were sounding, the language wasn't English. They sounded like warnings.

" We have to go now " yelled Thaman grabbing Michael and Valenti. He looked at where the second alien had been laying but the body was gone. " Damn it! "

Max ran towards Liz. She was crying over Zan, who was gasping for breathe. She tried not to look at the hole in his chest. The same would that she saw in her vision.

Zan looked up at her and touched her face. " Get out of here "

" Not without you " she said numbly.

" You have to " he said weakly.

" Liz " said Max softly putting his hand on her shoulder. " We gotta go " he held out his hand for her.

Liz looked at Max. The one she loved, the one she would always love and he knew that. She slowly bent down and kissed Zan on the lips. She took Max's hand. Max looked at Zan, they both shared an understanding glance.

" Take care of her " said Zan

" I will " said Max. He ran with Liz towards the stairs. When Liz got to the stairs she looked back at him. The laboratory was closing up and the walls began crumbling. She saw him drag himself over to the unborn clone and reach up to it, pressing his bloody hand on the glass. The clone's glow was getting brighter and brighter. Liz ran with Max out of the Café.

Zan clenched his teeth together in terrible pain as he tried to reach up towards his Liz. He opened a drawer just below her and took out a syringe with some kind of antibiotic. He tore off the cover with his teeth and jabbed the needle in his heart. He gasped out in pain and lay motionless on the floor. The walls around him crumbled. The clone was still in perfect order, still glowing, it's humming becoming more rapid.