Michael helped Tess up onto the balcony. They could hear someone crying from inside the room. They both ran toward the window but Michael held Tess back before she could climb through. Bewildered, she looked to where he was pointing and saw a Skin in there next to Max who was lying motionless on the floor. He pulled her away from the window and into the shadows so that they would be undetected.
********************************************************
"You did this! Why?" Alex demanded.
"Why are you doing this? What did you do to Liz and Max? " Isabel asked.
"I did it for revenge...to settle the score more or less. I'm taking him back so that they can finish what they started..."
"What are you talking about?" asked Maria.
"I don't think you or your friends are in any position to question me." The Skin remained silent and grinned as if daring one of them to make a move. It didn't have to wait long. In a rage of fury Isabel ran over attacking it. Alex tried to grab her but he was to late. The Skin knocked her to the floor with a burst of energy. She quickly got up and looked him dead in the eye. "You're feisty huh? That won't help you though when you find yourself locked away," he said.
"Is Nicholas behind this? You'll never get away with this-" yelled Maria.
"Quit babbling. It makes me sick. You humans are always so emotional and where does it get you? Now I have the royal king himself and I can finish what I set out to do." With a wave of its hand, the Skin delivered a powerful blow to each of the teens knocking them out cold.
********************************************************
"What happened?" asked Michael. He was laying face first on the cold, hard floor. He slowly sat up and studied at his surroundings. He saw Tess lying next to him on the ground. He sat up and gently shook her to wake her.
"Hmm?" she asked as she stirred.
"They're gone. No one's here." He got up and made his way to the window. The room was deserted. Max, Isabel, Maria, Alex and Liz were nowhere to be found. Tess joined him, her face full of fright. What had happened to them? Did the Skin kill them? Her heart felt so heavy and her stomach twisted into knots. Where they even still alive? These same thoughts raced through Michael's head too but he knew deep inside his friends were alive...but he didn't know for how long. He didn't know how he knew, he just did- it was an alien thin he guessed. He searched the room for clues. Then it hit him! The words of the Skin came flooding back to him. "I'm going to take him back so that they can finish what they started..."
"The white room" he said.
"White room? What are you talking about Michael?"
"It's where the FBI took Max last year. It's where they-"
She looked down at they ground fighting back tears. "It's where they tortured him."
********************************************************
She woke up in a bare white room. She was alone. She frantically got up and ran towards the door and banged it. "Open this door!" she yelled. Where was everyone else? This place looked too familiar too her. It looked exactly like the place where Max-
A heavy-set guard with heavy boots and a shotgun angrily ran towards Liz's door and aimed the gun directly at her head. Liz was paralyzed. "I don't want to hear another sound coming from this cell. If I do I'll make sure it'll be your last. Got it?" he demanded. Whimpering, she asked where everyone else was.
"Oh, you're referring to your friends I assume," he said leisurely, "Well, let's see hmm...well the humans were dead the last time I checked. They got in the way- made too much noise. What a pity. The others I'm not sure about. I know that the one boy... well wasn't really useful to any of us...you know what I mean? The girl still hasn't outgrown her usefulness though. Maybe we'll reunite you two before she goes away to a better place."
Her legs felt weak. The color drained from her face and she fell back against the wall as his words sunk in. She couldn't hold herself up any longer. He was obviously enjoying tormenting her like this.
"What was her name- Maria? Strong girl really but no match for old Mick here," he said as he motioned to his gun. "But don't worry. We made sure we had fun with her before we put her out of her misery. To bad the boy didn't live long enough to enjoy it!"
"You bastard!" Liz shrieked as she ran to him blinded by her fury. But it was too late. He had already slammed the door and he was walking down the hall laughing. She didn't care. She kept pounding on the door as she cried out in agony. Giving up she broke down and huddled up against the wall as tears streamed down her face. They had killed her friends and it was all her fault. "Oh god" she sobbed as her head leaned back against the wall. She was devastated.
********************************************************
He was restless, he didn't know how long he had been here but it had been long enough for the nightmares to return to him. He was back in the facility- the one where he had nearly been killed in. His eyes darted around his cell. His room was small with dim lights. A window ran the length of one of the walls- exactly as he had remembered it...exactly. He was in the "holding" room; that's where he would remain until they were ready for him. The last thing he remembered was healing Liz...and then that light. That brilliant electric light was everywhere and it had entered him. He remembered seeing the Skin. He remembered lying on the floor barely able to keep his eyes open, but he knew he saw it. Did it bring him here? Did it bring his friends here? It must have... The next thing he knew was that he was lying here sore but alive.
Liz had tried to stop him. She pleaded him to go away but he ignored her and probably put her and the others in even more danger. God, how could he have been so stupid? Now that he thought about it, he realized she had been trying to tell him what was happening even though she didn't technically tell him.
Where were the others? He couldn't imagine what had happened to them. He had to find someway to get in touch- especially with Isabel. If she was in here, then she was in major danger. Max would never let anyone hurt her or anyone else like they had to him- he would make sure of that. He had to think fast. He had to get out of here. How could he get in touch with Michael and Tess? They were the only ones who weren't in the room. He had already tried several times to connect with them telepathically but failed. He even tried with Isabel but failed miserably.
He turned his head to the window. He saw a guard walking down the corridor towards him. "Hey Paul, what're you up too?" asked a man who Max couldn't see. He must have been along the side of one of the other walls.
"Hah, just having fun with one of those teens. The one with the brown hair- cute one she is." He said laughing. "Bawling her little eyes out because she thinks her little friends are dead."
"Thinks? The last I saw they were breathing," asked the other guard questioningly.
"Well I might have given her reason to think that," he said grinning, "I just love to mess with their heads you know? Gives me a rush- I don't think she'll put up much of fight now..."
"You have one sick sense of humor, but hey whatever right?"
Max's blood curled. "You sick-" His head filled with a thousand words. They were talking about Liz- his Liz. She was here and so were the others. He was supposed to protect her and here he was. He had to find her and tell her that they were still alive. Who knew what state of mind she was in now that she thought everyone was dead. He punched the wall in anger. He wanted to kill that guard. He stopped- did he just hear something? He listened for a sec and placed his head against the wall straining to listen. He was right! It sounded like... like someone was crying. It was clearer now. It was Liz- he could just feel it. Max's heart responded with a sharp pang.
"No Liz, listen to me it's not true! They're alive!" he yelled hoping she could here him. He pounded on the wall trying to get her to listen.
********************************************************
"You did this! Why?" Alex demanded.
"Why are you doing this? What did you do to Liz and Max? " Isabel asked.
"I did it for revenge...to settle the score more or less. I'm taking him back so that they can finish what they started..."
"What are you talking about?" asked Maria.
"I don't think you or your friends are in any position to question me." The Skin remained silent and grinned as if daring one of them to make a move. It didn't have to wait long. In a rage of fury Isabel ran over attacking it. Alex tried to grab her but he was to late. The Skin knocked her to the floor with a burst of energy. She quickly got up and looked him dead in the eye. "You're feisty huh? That won't help you though when you find yourself locked away," he said.
"Is Nicholas behind this? You'll never get away with this-" yelled Maria.
"Quit babbling. It makes me sick. You humans are always so emotional and where does it get you? Now I have the royal king himself and I can finish what I set out to do." With a wave of its hand, the Skin delivered a powerful blow to each of the teens knocking them out cold.
********************************************************
"What happened?" asked Michael. He was laying face first on the cold, hard floor. He slowly sat up and studied at his surroundings. He saw Tess lying next to him on the ground. He sat up and gently shook her to wake her.
"Hmm?" she asked as she stirred.
"They're gone. No one's here." He got up and made his way to the window. The room was deserted. Max, Isabel, Maria, Alex and Liz were nowhere to be found. Tess joined him, her face full of fright. What had happened to them? Did the Skin kill them? Her heart felt so heavy and her stomach twisted into knots. Where they even still alive? These same thoughts raced through Michael's head too but he knew deep inside his friends were alive...but he didn't know for how long. He didn't know how he knew, he just did- it was an alien thin he guessed. He searched the room for clues. Then it hit him! The words of the Skin came flooding back to him. "I'm going to take him back so that they can finish what they started..."
"The white room" he said.
"White room? What are you talking about Michael?"
"It's where the FBI took Max last year. It's where they-"
She looked down at they ground fighting back tears. "It's where they tortured him."
********************************************************
She woke up in a bare white room. She was alone. She frantically got up and ran towards the door and banged it. "Open this door!" she yelled. Where was everyone else? This place looked too familiar too her. It looked exactly like the place where Max-
A heavy-set guard with heavy boots and a shotgun angrily ran towards Liz's door and aimed the gun directly at her head. Liz was paralyzed. "I don't want to hear another sound coming from this cell. If I do I'll make sure it'll be your last. Got it?" he demanded. Whimpering, she asked where everyone else was.
"Oh, you're referring to your friends I assume," he said leisurely, "Well, let's see hmm...well the humans were dead the last time I checked. They got in the way- made too much noise. What a pity. The others I'm not sure about. I know that the one boy... well wasn't really useful to any of us...you know what I mean? The girl still hasn't outgrown her usefulness though. Maybe we'll reunite you two before she goes away to a better place."
Her legs felt weak. The color drained from her face and she fell back against the wall as his words sunk in. She couldn't hold herself up any longer. He was obviously enjoying tormenting her like this.
"What was her name- Maria? Strong girl really but no match for old Mick here," he said as he motioned to his gun. "But don't worry. We made sure we had fun with her before we put her out of her misery. To bad the boy didn't live long enough to enjoy it!"
"You bastard!" Liz shrieked as she ran to him blinded by her fury. But it was too late. He had already slammed the door and he was walking down the hall laughing. She didn't care. She kept pounding on the door as she cried out in agony. Giving up she broke down and huddled up against the wall as tears streamed down her face. They had killed her friends and it was all her fault. "Oh god" she sobbed as her head leaned back against the wall. She was devastated.
********************************************************
He was restless, he didn't know how long he had been here but it had been long enough for the nightmares to return to him. He was back in the facility- the one where he had nearly been killed in. His eyes darted around his cell. His room was small with dim lights. A window ran the length of one of the walls- exactly as he had remembered it...exactly. He was in the "holding" room; that's where he would remain until they were ready for him. The last thing he remembered was healing Liz...and then that light. That brilliant electric light was everywhere and it had entered him. He remembered seeing the Skin. He remembered lying on the floor barely able to keep his eyes open, but he knew he saw it. Did it bring him here? Did it bring his friends here? It must have... The next thing he knew was that he was lying here sore but alive.
Liz had tried to stop him. She pleaded him to go away but he ignored her and probably put her and the others in even more danger. God, how could he have been so stupid? Now that he thought about it, he realized she had been trying to tell him what was happening even though she didn't technically tell him.
Where were the others? He couldn't imagine what had happened to them. He had to find someway to get in touch- especially with Isabel. If she was in here, then she was in major danger. Max would never let anyone hurt her or anyone else like they had to him- he would make sure of that. He had to think fast. He had to get out of here. How could he get in touch with Michael and Tess? They were the only ones who weren't in the room. He had already tried several times to connect with them telepathically but failed. He even tried with Isabel but failed miserably.
He turned his head to the window. He saw a guard walking down the corridor towards him. "Hey Paul, what're you up too?" asked a man who Max couldn't see. He must have been along the side of one of the other walls.
"Hah, just having fun with one of those teens. The one with the brown hair- cute one she is." He said laughing. "Bawling her little eyes out because she thinks her little friends are dead."
"Thinks? The last I saw they were breathing," asked the other guard questioningly.
"Well I might have given her reason to think that," he said grinning, "I just love to mess with their heads you know? Gives me a rush- I don't think she'll put up much of fight now..."
"You have one sick sense of humor, but hey whatever right?"
Max's blood curled. "You sick-" His head filled with a thousand words. They were talking about Liz- his Liz. She was here and so were the others. He was supposed to protect her and here he was. He had to find her and tell her that they were still alive. Who knew what state of mind she was in now that she thought everyone was dead. He punched the wall in anger. He wanted to kill that guard. He stopped- did he just hear something? He listened for a sec and placed his head against the wall straining to listen. He was right! It sounded like... like someone was crying. It was clearer now. It was Liz- he could just feel it. Max's heart responded with a sharp pang.
"No Liz, listen to me it's not true! They're alive!" he yelled hoping she could here him. He pounded on the wall trying to get her to listen.