Author's Note: Hey, guys thanks for reviewing again. I've written a couple chapters ahead and I promise Max and Liz will meet! You've just gotta be patient… (

Chapter Seven

Liz flopped down onto her bed. She let her hair sprawl out around her face and her arms swoop around a pillow for comfort. She felt anxious about something, yet what it was she wasn't sure. All of a sudden it came to her:

Call your mother!

That's what she needed to do. Perhaps Josh had been found… Well the answer was just a call away.

Liz violently grabbed across the bed for the portable phone. She dialed the number.

"Hello." A pained voice on the other end of the phone answered.

"Mom?" Liz hated the sound of her mother's voice now. All children liked to take comfort in the stability of their parents. Before, her mother had always had a confident air to her; she was always good with people. Now, Mrs. Parker's voice sound incredibly strained and upset. Like the voice of someone who had just watched a love one die, Liz thought in panic.

"Lizzy? My baby girl, is that you?"

"Yes, Mom. Please tell me! Is it bad? Is Joshua hurt?" Liz yelped into her phone, sitting upright on the bed.

"I don't know!" Mrs. Parker wailed loudly. "I don't know what's happening to my little boy! I don't know where he is, or who he's with, or what he's doing! I don't know anything anymore!"

Liz, relieved that Josh hadn't died or anything, tried to comfort her mother. "Mom, there is no way you can make it through this alone. I won't leave you and the boys so vulnerable when we don't know what's happening to Josh."

"What are you saying, Sweetie?" Her voice had clamed down to a faint whisper.

"I'm coming down to Roswell, Mom. I'll find out about Josh and we'll get through this together. Everything's going to be okay." Liz thought she sounded more confident than she felt.

"Oh, honey. I love you so much!" The sobbing started again.

"I love you too, Mom. Just keep it together until tomorrow morning. Okay? I'll get a late flight over tonight. Tell the boys I'm coming."

"Okay, baby. I'll see you soon." And it was a sobbing voice that a few seconds later, hung up the phone.

How did I just decide to do that? Liz thought in panic. Now I have to get a plane ticket and organize everything… Liz sighed out loud, well the important thing is that I'm with Mom and the boys; I should be comforting my family. I love Joshua too. And then Liz thought with a small smile on her face, Roswell here I come, whether you're ready or not.

*

He felt like air. He felt weightless, like he was swimming under water. The whole world was under water. He could swim through the skies and dive into canyons, lightly skimming the flowers that grew at the bottom. And he could fit through the smallest cracks in the caves; he could find anything, see everything. But he didn't have eyes, at least not physical ones right now. He could only sense things, experience them without knowing how. It was like he was a spirit, something without a body. But he did have a body; it was down on the ground slumped against a cave wall, the arms twisted strangely and the clothes ripped off his legs.

Diving closer to his body, Josh could see the flaps of burnt skin all over his legs. They looked like mutilated branches, unusable and hardened. His feet were burnt too, each toe curved inward slightly. If he ever got back to his body, Josh thought, he wouldn't be able to walk for a long time.

And then all of a sudden, Josh was moving, flying towards the head on his own body. With each foot closer, his sprit form seemed to contract and get smaller, until he could fit easily inside his own mouth. And that's just what he did, his spirit flew into his mouth and then- WHAM –Josh was back inside his physical body. And he could feel the aches again, the terrible throbbing in his legs and feet. And he could feel the insanely calm paranoia that lived in his brain, eating away at his insides, just waiting for the men to come back.

*

Max pulled his jeep into the back parking lot of the AOE-B1 and backed up into a vacant parking space. He turned the car off and opened the door. His stepped out of the Jeep, his face impassive, and his leather jacket blowing in the wind.

Michael too got out of the car, he couldn't help chuckling inwardly at the insane James Bond resemblance his friend had. Max was a man on a mission.

Max didn't even tell Michael to 'come on', or 'hurry up', he just strode out of the parking lot and into the back entrance of the AOE-B1, knowing Michael was following him.

About three doors later, Max came upon a wall with no apparent door, a dead end. He didn't hesitate, just placed his hand on a small brown panel. The panel glowed silver with Max's handprint, and then made a small click sound. Max then walked straight through the wall, ending up on the other side. Michael too, followed the same procedure as Max, letting the wall swallow him like Jell-O.

Inside, Max and Michael went through a couple of Precaution Doors, in which they had to speak a password, have their eyes scanned, and spit into a cup that was taken into the wall to check Alien Positive. Ten minutes later, the two guys were in, making their way expertly to Katrina's office on the third floor.

Max knocked when they reached a gray door, and a woman's voice answered, "Who's there?"

"Max Evans and Michael Guerin."

The door opened, "Ah, hey guys." Katrina waved them in to her office. "Take a seat." Max and Michael sat down among two other guys and one girl.

Katrina sat down next to them all, "Max, Michael, these are the other volunteers for our search." She pointed to a tall man who looked to be in his thirties. He had warm eyes and crooked nose. "This is Pete Hashoff. He's an Antarian. Came over about ten years ago on the Yartzob Ship." Pete nodded politely to Max and Michael. "This is David Stein." She pointed to the other guy, who looked about 19 or 20. He had crazy blond hair and serious blue eyes. "David works at the AOE-B2 and is brothers with Robert Stein, the boy who told Joshua about his alien side. Rob wanted to help find his friend but he was too young, so David volunteered to stand in for Rob.

"And this is Max Evans and Michael Guerin. Both of them are of friends of mine. I keep them updated on the happenings of AOE because these two and their posse like to lay low mostly." The group grinned. "Max and Michael wanted to be a part of this because Max had become friends with the Parker family. Michael is just in for the ride, isn't that so?" She smiled at Michael and he nodded, grinning himself. "Both Max and Michael were born here after their parents died in the 1947 crash."

"Ohh, first shippers." Pete nodded respectfully, referring to the fact that the 1947 ship was the first ever to make a trip to Earth.

"And this," Katrina pointed, "is our reference human. This is Natasha or just Nat, Summers. She found out about AOE when she fell in love with Harrison Summers. She's been very loyal since his tragic death, dedicating her life to keeping Antarians safe." Everyone nodded respectfully to the petite blond woman. She looked in her mid or late twenties.

"Okay guys and girl, now that we have done the introductions, let's get onto the plan. Which is…we don't have one yet."

Michael snorted yet Katrina continued, "Your job is to try and save, help and find Joshua Parker. He's an innocent and right now in the hands of some FBI agents, we think. They could be anywhere, yet we suspect he's in Roswell, close to all the alien commotion.

"Joshua's family has lived in Roswell all their lives. They have a daughter living in Washington, and two other sons here. Mrs. Parker has been notified that there is a search party of highly trained professionals looking for her son. However, Josh was the only Parker who knew about aliens, so we must keep our identities secret from them. Does everyone understand?" There was a circle of nods around the office. Katrina looked pleased, "Any last questions?"

"One," said David. "Do you mean to say that we don't have any clues whatsoever to Joshua's whereabout? Not even a landmark or description?"

Katrina looked somber again, "That's right. None. We haven't been contacted by any other Antarians and no pedestrian has reported anything about seeing Josh." She paused. " You will all start early tomorrow morning. All I can say is, good luck."