***

The dingy bathroom's stench was gagging Maria. Yellowed tiles covered the walls and matched the floors. Dirt had built up along the rusting pipes and the paint on the peeling ceiling contained extensive cracks. What a place to die. Maria squeezed her eyes closed as tightly as possible, concentrating on the strenuous effort of finding comfort in Liz's embrace. But it was a failed attempt, because no matter what was happening inside, she knew Michael was still on the outside with Max, Kyle and Isabel. And the other agents.

Three knocks rung out in succession. Liz's hold grew instantaneously tighter. The agent firmed her own grasp, raising her gun in preparation and shooting a warning glare toward Liz. Maria swallowed the lump in her throat as she heard Michael's voice through the door.

"Maria? Are you all right? What are you and Liz doing in there?"

Maria looked to Liz momentarily before clearing her throat, trying to wipe away the fear. "We're fine, Michael. And, um, tell Max and Pierce to quit rushing everyone. We'll be ready when we're ready."

Liz's gaze went to the floor, while Maria looked to the agent, who nodded in acceptance of her answer. Silence was the only reply on the other side of the door.

***

Michael stared at the closed door in front of him. His forehead creased in confusion. He opened his mouth, preparing to find out what the hell Maria was smoking but thought better of it. Instead, he went over what she had said in his mind. Tell Max and Pierce. Pierce? He was the undercover head agent. He was FBI. And then, as if a bolt of lightning had careened down and shed light on the whole situation, he understood clearly.

Despite the newfound knowledge and the unnerving fear riding up and down his chest, he turned around as casually as he could, inspecting the large parking lot as he did so. A couple beat up trucks with teenagers. Two mini- vans and a camper. Trees and park benches. Nothing out of the ordinary. He rested his dark eyes on the van across the lot, several yards in front of him. Their van. Max and Kyle were still leaning against it, casually chatting while they killed time. His fear transitioned into horror as he saw the red jeep beside them. Three men, trying to act naturally but failing miserably at it. One had an eye on Max and Kyle. One was staring straight at him, turning away quickly when he glanced toward them.

Michael looked to the ground, not knowing what to do. He shoved his hands in his pockets, pretending to be unaware of the situation. Pretending to be calm. Not knowing what else to do, he glanced up and stared straight ahead at Max, willing the information with the intense gaze. With everything he could do with his powers, he would have wished them all away if he could only send this single message to Max telepathically.

***

"What's up with Michael?" Kyle asked, as he and Max looked at Michael's still figure. He was staring straight ahead, unmoving and solemn.

"Is he looking at us?" Max questioned, mirroring Kyle's confusion. He shrugged his shoulders in a gesture that asked Michael what he was doing. Michael didn't move; he merely continued to stare.

Kyle looked around, letting his eyes fall on the red jeep five parking spaces to their left. A balding, middle-aged man promptly darted his eyes away. Two other men were in the vehicle, all wearing tight, serious expressions. "Uh, Max. Look to the left. In the jeep." Kyle looked back at Michael, while Max unceremoniously glanced over to the vehicle.

"You think they're FBI?" Max uttered, looking down at the ground and kicking at the gravel casually.

"Yeah, maybe. What are we going to do?"

"We have to be sure."

Kyle was about to reply when he caught sight of Michael spinning around and rushing toward the bathroom door. The three men in the jeep reacted by pulling out their guns.

"Definitely FBI," Kyle muttered as Max strode a few steps and extended his arm out partially. The jeep's windows immediately began to roll up, forcing bewildered faces on the agents. Immediately, they reached for the door handles but nothing opened. Kyle and Max watched as they slammed their shoulders and then their entire bodies against the door, but their actions were quickly proving worthless, for nothing budged.

At the same time Max took care of the jeep, Michael had pummeled the bathroom door down. Once inside, he could hear Maria and Liz's surprised screams.

"Michael, look out!" Maria shrieked, pointing frantically at the woman behind the opened door.

"Freeze," she boomed. Michael neglected the command and shot his arm up. The gun flew from her hand and she was shoved back into the wall with aggressive force. She slumped to the ground effortlessly. Michael turned back to the girls.

"Are you all right?" He reached both hands down and pulled them to their feet. His right arm absentmindedly wrapped around Maria's waist, yanking her close to his body.

"There's more of them out there!" Liz exclaimed.

"Max is taking care of that situation. We need to get the hell out of here. Let's go."

***

Kyle yanked the sliding door open. Isabel jolted awake. "What happened?"

"FBI are here," Kyle informed her, gesturing at the jeep, which Max had transformed into a make-shift cage.

"The FBI?" Isabel didn't bother masking the distress in her words. "Where's everyone else?"

As soon as she voiced the question, Liz emerged from the tiny building that housed the restrooms, followed quickly by Michael and Maria. They walked in a hurried pace, although Maria wanted to flee the ugly scene at light speed. Michael clasped her hand tightly, however, keeping her by his side as they made their way to the others, avoiding a huge scene in front of the countless travelers. Within moments, they had reached the van, and Michael wasted no time in forcing the girls into the vehicle.

"What if they try and shoot their way out?" Kyle asked as Max scrambled to the driver's seat.

"It wouldn't be a good idea," Max responded. "The glass is unbreakable."

"Man, I gotta get me some alien powers." He hopped in after Michael and slid the door shut. The men were still pounding away at the now bullet- proof glass. The agent that had held Maria and Liz in the bathroom lay there unconscious. And the six runaways drove hastily out of the rest stop.

***

Hardly a word had been spoken in the last four hours spent on the road. After speeding away from the rest stop, everyone caught their breath and tried to regroup. Maria had whispered to Liz not to tell the others about what had happened with her hands earlier. Liz gave her a telling look but nodded her head to signify her agreement. "For now," she whispered back and Maria smiled in gratitude. She then turned to Michael, who was sitting beside her, and threw herself into his chest.

Michael, surprised by her sudden action, cautiously brought his arms around her shaking shoulders and held her. Neither spoke. He simply held her, almost rocking her back and forth as he tried to allay her fears. Maria fell asleep in his arms shortly after, and the two remained like that for hours. Liz had asked Kyle to switch places. She crawled into the now vacated front seat and rested a hand on her husband's shoulder. Kyle stretched out in the back seat and Isabel merely stared out the window.

And this is how they all arrived at a small, dusty, old motel four hours later. Thunder boomed above them, echoing around the royal purple clouds. The air smelled of sweet rain.

"Will they find us here?" Isabel asked as they all stepped outside.

"I don't think so. We traveled pretty far from the interstate." Max swung the keys around his fingers before giving his sister a hug. "It'll be okay, Is."

The tall blonde suppressed tears, nodding only to placate her brother. She wiped her fingers across her cheeks as she stepped away and headed into the motel lobby. Max turned to face Liz, sliding his arm over her shoulders and pecking her lips. "It'll be okay," she affirmed his previous statement. He smiled and both followed Isabel to rejoin the rest of the group.

A storm was gathering force above them all, and the night that lay ahead had much in store for them….





New (revealing) update should be posted by tomorrow afternoon. Thanks for the reviews.