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Chapter 5
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I know I'll see you again
Whether far or soon
But I need you to know, that I care
And I miss you
~Incubus, "I Miss You", Make Yourself, 1999
I don't know where I am. I feel like crap though, does that help? The earth is spinning. Or maybe its my head. Everything is still so blurry. I can't see anything. Its to dark. I don't know where Connor is. I'm trying to search for him in my mind. But he must be to far away, I can't reach him.
Tears fall uncontrollably.
I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know anything anymore. All I can think about is Connor.......and Max.
~~~
"So Alex, I can't believe you almost lost 30 billion dollars, billion. Just woah," Maria told Alex as they reached their building.
"Yeah, well, the execs somehow found it funny. You know ha ha. I'm just glad I didn't lose my job." Alex responded. They reached their floor and saw that their door to the apartment was open. They looked at each other, worried. Maria was cautious to approach the door, but Alex rushed inside.
"Oh, my God" exclaimed Alex as he turned pale. Maria rushed to his side. She to lost all the color of her face. They carefully entered their apartment. It was in ruins, the place was completely ransacked. Everything was broken. A tornado invaded the home, and left no mercy. A small fire came from a trash can in the living room. Alex saw this and quickly put it out.
"LIZ, LIZ, CONNOR," he yelled. He didn't get a response.
"Alex, something happened, read this note," Maria said handing him Liz's note then the note that was underneath the door. She thought this was all over. When they were in Roswell, there was a weekly danger. But here? Now?
Maria went to the kitchen, she salvaged two chairs.
"Maria, stay here. Let me check the rest of the place," Alex told her. She clinged to him at first, but something caught her eye, she slowly let go of him.
He opened the draw by the stove and pulled out the small can of mace they kept just in case something happened. Whatever happened, happened fast because it was still there. They all knew about it. Maria's eyes grew wider with fear. She never thought they would actually have to use it.
"Just for insurance," Alex said in a whisper as to not ward off anyone that could still be in the house. He slowly crept into every room, using every cop move he knew.
Papers were thrown everywhere. Graffiti writings on the walls. Whatever happened it was made to seem like a burglary.
Maria quietly sobbed. She remembered all of the good times she had with Liz. When she almost freaked out Liz when she thought she got her bellybutton pierced. Liz's reaction to the aqua bra. Connor's giggle and when he would call her 'Ria because he couldn't fully pronounce Maria. She held onto the stuffed alien. It was her gift to him when he turned 2.
Alex returned to the living room. He tried not to disturb Maria, but he accidentally stepped on a piece of glass from the vase Liz always had full of fresh flowers. White roses were her favorite.
"Maria, we should get out of here. We'll find Liz and Connor, don't worry, we will." Alex said. He gave his friend a gentle squeeze on the shoulder. She was looking at the photo of Liz, Alex, Connor, and herself. It hurt so bad. All she wanted was her "sister" and god-son back. She turned around and hugged Alex.
"She was always there for us," Maria said. She immediately thought of the worst.
"And she will be there for us. When we're old and can't walk and Connor's kids are taking our canes," Alex said. He tried so hard to be the strong one, but he felt like he was beginning to fall apart. "Don't begin to talk like that. We are going to find her and Connor. We are going to bring them back." He looked into his best friend's eyes and they made a promise to each other, to bring back the people they love.
"Where do you think they are?" Maria asked. She resisted the urge to cry again, but she had to stay strong for the both of them.
"I'm not sure, but my guess would be Roswell," Alex said rubbing his chin in thought.
"Why do you say that?" She really didn't want to go back. She didn't want to see Michael. She knew in her heart she would easily fall in love with him again. She found a life in New Orleans that she was comfortable with. But is it really a life without the person you love?
"Because everything happens in Roswell. I'm 99 percent sure this is alien related. The note she left said FBI and 'we have allies across the universe'" he said quoting the letter, "definite alien-ness."
"So we go back to Roswell?" Maria said, sucking everything up. Michael or no she wanted Liz and Connor back.
"We go back to Roswell."
~~~
"Sir, we have captured the Messiah. There was a problem; however. The mother was wounded," Madison said.
"Excellent" Murdoch said with such a tone, anyone would be scared. "We have to ensure the survival of the mother. If this was a normal child, it wouldn't matter, there is no physical bond, in which one dies the other doesn't. This is a alien/human child. This is a first in the Antarian world, anything is possible. Take care of the mother, have her safe."
"Yes sir, we already have doctors repairing Liz," Madison.
"Good."
~~~
I think I'm in heaven. Or somewhere else. Everything is so bright and calm, almost a numbing feeling. I can't connect with Connor. Oh God, could I have prevented this? I should have told Max then this never would have happened. Everything is still so bright.
Liz squints as someone passes over her. "Where am I? Am I dead?"
The doctor lets out a small chuckle. Everyone always thinks they are dead. "No Miss Parker you aren't. You're in the medical wing. Do you remember anything?" He flashes a flashlight in her eyes to check her vital signs.
"No not really," Liz says as she pulls away from him. A wave of dread passes over her as the realization of not being dead sinks in. Another wave hits her as she thinks of getting Connor out of here. Boy is this going to be one hell of a storm.
"Your son is ok. He's in our nursery."
"How do you know?" Liz asked with a tremble.
"We know everything, Liz. Don't do anything stupid, Connor will die if you do," he said as he began to leave the room.
"Please," Liz pleaded, "Let me see my son. I have to know if he's ok."
"That's not possible at this moment. In a couple of minutes the arm and leg cuffs will be removed. Tomorrow when you are better, we will be leaving," he stopped to look at her, he recognized the fear.
"Where? Why can't I see my son? Please let me see him," Liz started to cry. She wanted to see his sweet face. To hold him and feed him. To tell him fairy tales, like she always did.
"Sorry, Liz" the doctor left the room. The once brightly lit room was slowly becoming darker.
"Please?" Liz said weakly. The drugs started to pump into her veins. She watched as the cuffs were slowly coming off her already swollen wrists. Drowsiness swept over her and she started to fade away into a long nightmarish sleep.
~~~
"Alex we can't stop here," Maria said. Even as much as she welcomed a warm and nice bed, she knew they couldn't stop.
"Maria, we have driven over 700 miles non stop and we have over 300 miles left. We need some sleep. I hate to say it, but we can't help her and Con if we are in the hospital because one of us fell asleep at the wheel," Alex said.
"Fine," Maria said giving in. "Who would have thought the next flight to Albuquerque would be full?" Maria said grabbing her bag and exiting the Jetta.
"Well at least the bastards left us some clothes," Alex said.
"Yeah, but they ruined those fuzzy boots I wore once on the father/daughter camping trip. When I get my hands on them, they better get ready to get their alien butts kicked." Maria smiled weakly at Alex. She knows that she'll get Liz and Connor back.........eventually.
"Damn straight," Alex said with a slight chuckle.
~~~
I don't know what time it is. There aren't any windows. Just padded walls like I'm in a psych ward. I kinda fell better. I guess whatever drugs they used work, but I bet they weren't certified by the FDA. I still feel sore though, but that's expected I guess. So my record stands at two now.
All I know is that today is tomorrow and we are going to be transported. I overheard some men before and even they aren't sure where we are going. Supposedly the reason we stopped was because of me. I guess they do want me alive.
Is this what it was like when Max was captured by Pierce?
Not knowing if he was going to be able to escape. Or how long he would be able to withstand the pain from all the experiments. I've been in this room for hours. I'm surprised I haven't gone insane. I've counted the number of cell cushions there are - 525, the number of men that have passed by - 10. None of them will hear my plea. And the number of times I have thought about Max - countless.
It's funny how when you think you're dying, all the good memories come back. It's sort of difficult to take that I may never see my baby again. I may never have the chance to tell Max the truth. That's the one thing I regret. But what would he think of me? I keep have dreams of two scenarios: 1) Having a chance to tell Max, he seems to take it ok, but he becomes furious and completely angry and can't look at me the same way. 2) Somehow understand and we work it out.
I'm not sure if I'll have a chance to actually see those happen.
I'm still sore, from the gun shot wound. It's only a few inches from the first one I received back in September a couple of years ago.
Liz continued to think of all the good times she had with her friends. She gave up all hope of escaping when she was told they were being transferred somewhere. She couldn't see a door in her room. She used her fingers to find some kind of crease or a crack somewhere that would lead to a door or some kind of escape route. But it was hopeless. They only saving chance would be Alex and Maria.
Liz heard a noise from her right. Rays of light were pouring into the room. Liz squinted and covered her eyes. As good as light was welcoming, it was painful. The door was quickly shut and a man rushed inside.
It took Liz a fraction of a second to realize who this man was. It was the doctor, the one from before, when she woke up.
Liz screamed. He inched closer and Liz brought her legs up to her chest, she grabbed the IV pole in defense.
"Liz don't, I won't hurt you. I'm here to help," he said in a gentle tone. He tried to calm her down. "Liz, I'm from the order of Ianthia. I brought you that note. I bring no harm."
Liz didn't believe him. She didn't know what to believe. She lowered the pole to the ground. She looked at him cautiously. She was ready to defend herself, if he tried anything. She never wanted to rely on her alien powers because that would make her less human. She wanted to stay the person she was before she was shot the first time, before she knew of Max's origin. She wished she would have reacted as fast when she was in the woods. Maybe she wouldn't be in this mess right now. She thought of taking the doctor as a hostage, to do whatever necessary to get Connor out of this hell hole.
"Please trust me. Look here I have the mark on my head. Zan the king of Antar has this mark. The seal of royalty, we are a subdivision of a religious order. Us Ianthians and Antarians have this mark," he said. He waved his hand over his forehead and Liz saw a glowing V mark. She never saw this on Max, but Kyle told her about it.
"I don't believe you. Anyone could do that to themselves. Look at Damien. He had 666 on his head. There is no way of trusting you," Liz said bitterly. Am I being to stubborn? Could he actually be telling the truth?
"That was a movie, a shot at earning money. I'm not the devil's son. These walls..... are to protect the patient, that's why they are padded. This used to be an insane asylum. Underneath the 210th tile there is a map. Use it, I'm leaving my watch here. In 1 hour leave this room. Connor is in room 201, the floor below. Look for a woman who has red hair. She will give you Connor. She will tell you where the exit is, just in case the blueprints are confusing. Once outside...." he rushed, ".... Look for number 814. It will be on the door of the van. Go inside and hide. I'll come out as soon as you exit. I'll take you somewhere safe."
"Why are you doing this?" Liz asked.
"Because I serve the right king and do not want harm done to the child. We have allies everywhere remember that."
"I understand that you don't want to trust me. I wouldn't trust anyone if I were in your situation. But this time.... please find it in your heart.... to trust someone."
"Ok" Liz answered. She hoped this wasn't an act. That he was being truthful. But she had one question. "I just don't understand this. Why do they want Connor?"
"Because your son is the Messiah."
~~~
Alex and Maria woke up after only 4 hours of sleep. Their love for their friend and their god - son ran so deep they were haunted of images. Constantly plagued by the 'what ifs'.
Alex went to the 711 across the motel, bought some edible food, while Maria warmed the Jetta. Never did it seem so long.
Once inside Alex and Maria finally opened up about what was on their minds: Will they tell Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess?
"Alex, turn here," Maria said. Almost there. They had approximately 544 miles to go. "So I know we have avoided this topic, but do we involve the Czechs?" Finally it was out there. Now the ball was in Alex's court.
"To be honest I don't know. Liz wouldn't want them involved," Alex said staying focused on the road. That was the only thing ge could control.
"Yeah, but this is about two lives...." Maria said not noticing he was still talking. Something she usually did.
"..... but this is about two lives, whom we care about...."
".... but Liz would not want Max in danger, but how many times has he done that to her..." Maria said, now thinking aloud.
"But we have too," both of them said. They both looked at her each other and smiled.
"So do we call them? Do we tell them about Connor?" Maria asked. Ideas were flying through her head. Most of them made no sense. The rest were impossible. Where are we going to find Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones? They probably never fought these kinds of aliens.
"We can't tell them yet. We're too far out, our phones will never work. We'll call as soon as we find a phone that works. At the last gas shop, a guy named Greta was hitting on me. Little ol' me!" Alex said slightly grossed out.
"That was man? He was hot!," Maria said, realizing who he was talking about. She stiffened up a bit. "We can't joke around. We need clear heads, no Greta jokes."
"Fine by me. Just a little humor." Alex said rolling his eyes. Even though he would hate to admit it, he missed Kyle. Granted Kyle called Alex a spy once, he would understand the man jokes.
"We shouldn't tell them about Connor, not yet anyway. Liz should tell him. It's not our secret to tell. Liz has had this secret for 4 years. It's only right...."
"It's only right to save them. We need a plan. We have to figure out where they are," Maria said.
"Yeah I was thinking that once in Roswell we go to the library and get all the blueprints of all the abandoned warehouses on the other side of Roswell."
"Yeah that way we can scout the area. That would be the perfect spot. What about the building we used to spy on Tess?" Maria asked.
"Yeah, any old abandoned building far from Main street is fair game." Alex said. In a couple of hours they would be in Roswell.
~~~
Fifty five minutes passed, soon her mission would begin. A couple of men and women came in. They through Liz clothes, removed the IV in her arm. She was treated like an animal in a zoo. She sat in the corner of the room, thought out her plan. She now had hope. The room was deafening quiet, she started to daydream again. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a click. A click that made her one step closer to freedom.
The wall that only contained padded squares now revealed where the door was. She crept towards it. She opened it slowly. She peaked her small head, looked both ways and walked slowly towards the end of the hall. With every turn, with every move, she made sure it wasn't her last. She found the staircase, dodging two men and entered the second floor landing. She saw all the old facilities, all the machines, probably used for lobotomies, and all the people. She immediately feared of the possibility that her baby was prodded and probed. She saw the red head the doctor was talking about. She taped on the window, and followed the ritual she began when she left the room - she looked behind her and all around her to make sure no one was there. She smiled and went into the back room. She came out carrying out a bundle of sleeping bliss. Liz smiled and eagerly went towards him. She held onto Connor and showered him with kisses.
"It was an honor to serve you and your son," the red head said.
With tears in her eyes she graciously thanked the woman. She always knew her baby was special, but in the eyes of the order of Ianthia, her baby was something more than a baby, but a Messiah. Someone who could bring order or maybe disorder depending on who wanted Connor.
The red head went back to her post and pointed to the door.
Liz nodded and ran towards it and jiggled the door knob. She looked around and ran down the hall, finding another set of stairs. Memorized in her head was a picture of the building. Memorization was a blessing. Thanks to her Biology teacher for making her memorize the Periodic Table of Elements. She quickly went down the stairs, constantly avoiding the many guards, not knowing which one was a friend or foe. She reached the last door and prayed it was the way out. She turned the knob and it didn't budge. She looked to the right of it and an access card was needed. She prayed she would be able to use her powers. She placed her hand over the knob, placing Connor against her shoulder. She concentrated, she pictured the knob moving. She opened her eyes and her heart broke when the door was still in place. She turned around and heard shouts and yells, her escape was known. Liz panicked with fear. She lifted her leg and kicked the door. Her muscles yelled in pain. Silent tears started to roll down her face and landed on Connor. He woke up from his light slumber and read the fear on his mother's face. He tenderly placed his small hands on her face. Liz felt a surge of energy. Never has she tried to do things with her powers with Connor. She placed her hand again on the knob and it moved. She sighed with relief and kissed her son on the forehead.
She was showered with sunlight. How her body yearned for fresh air. She ran out, Connor on his feet now and scanned the vans for the number 814. She took in the New Mexican landscape surrounding her.
"810.... 112....861.... where's 814?" she muttered to herself.
"Mommy" Connor yelled.
Liz looked below to see Connor pointing to a van. The most beautiful numbers were on written on it. 814. "You're getting smarter and smarter every day, do you know that?" Liz said. In one swoop she picked up the boy and ran towards it.
"I know mommy," Connor said. He nestled his head on Liz's shoulder. "Hurry mommy. The bad guys are coming," he said. He gripped onto Liz even harder now.
Liz picked up the pace and opened the door to the van. She couldn't wait for the doctor now, she had to get out of there. Connor went to the back like he always did and put his seat belt, he watched as his mother struggled to find the keys, "Ma, in the movies the keys are always on the ceiling."
She lowered the visor and lo and behold the keys were there. "Thanks, baby."
The van roared to life as she geared into drive and raced out of there.
"She's escaping, everyone get her, we can't have her leave," someone of high importance yelled.
Liz focused on the road. Seeing the guards by the exit with guns, she picked up her pace.
"Oh God, please let us escape," she prayed to herself.
The guards at the gate pulled their rifles into a firing position. "Do not fire, I repeat do not fire," a voice said from the command post. "We need them alive."
Liz continued to drive forward, almost near the gate. She lowered her head to avoid any further injuried and he body jerked back from the impact of the gate. She looked back and saw Connor looking merry as usual. He probably had no idea what was going on. She looked behind her and saw the guards racing to capture her and her son again. She geared the car and raced to the nearest place she knew of - Roswell.
