Chapter six:

"Gotta get off the Interstate today and start heading northwest into the mountains . . . ," he lowered his voice ". . .but first we steal us a car."

Kyle looked up from the road map spread out over the remains of his enormous breakfast and grinned round at his friends, back in their now familiar disguises, scattered at the other tables in the Green Apple's tiny, spotless restaurant. Michael and Maria were the only ones sitting close together and looking happy to be there. Liz shared a table with Isobel, one angrily tearing a napkin to shreds and the other eating breakfast in another world.

Max, newly blond and spiky, sat at the last table eating mechanically, unable to tear his anguished gaze from the cold face of his soul mate. He didn't know what he'd done wrong, but she had ignored him from the moment he'd come off guard duty and found her in the restaurant, sandy haired again and ordering juice and pancakes for one.

At Kyle's announcement, they all looked up and hissed at him to be quiet. Their hostess, the burger guy's friendly sister, had bustled in and out all through breakfast, chattering merrily with Kyle and Maria, smiling in a motherly way at them all as she refilled their cups and glasses. She would be back at any moment, so Kyle's comment was too close to revealing their plans in front of an outsider, let alone the risk attached to his last remark.

Kyle shrugged, unrepentant. "We gotta move on, guys, time to hit the road."

They all stood up and Michael, dipping his hand into his inside pocket for his wallet, went to find the office and check out. The others straggled over to the van.

Liz grabbed Maria's hand and they climbed aboard first, heading for the back seat then glaring at Max, Liz in distain and Maria on the general principal that if Liz was hurting again it must be Max's fault.

He slunk into the single seat in the middle and instantly fell fast asleep.

Isobel settled into the seat across from him and gave him a concerned look as Kyle occupied the navigator's seat once again.

When Michael arrived a few minutes later, he surveyed the faces and shook his head at them.

"Not good enough, people," he said "if we're gonna steal a car, we all have to be alert and concentrating- we don't want the cops after us as well. Liz, wake Max up to join us, nobody sleeps through this one."

Liz leaned forward and poked Max in the shoulder. He didn't react. She shook him hard, but got the same result.

Michael, enigmatically watching this, reached over the back of the seat and slapped him sharply across both cheeks, frowning when he barely stirred. He wasn't out to hurt Max, but Liz still flinched and Isobel bit back an involuntarily protest. Michael sighed.

"He's in trauma, can't face his problems so he's retreated from them the only way he can. We'll just have to let him sleep until we've got time to help him. Somebody strap him in and keep an eye out for him. Liz, that'll be your job."

Liz looked as if she would like to refuse, but then she nodded and looked at Max with more warmth than she had all morning as she snapped the seatbelt in place around him.

Isobel regarded her brother with faint envy and wondered if retreating into deep sleep would be a solution to her own problems.

Michael fired the ignition and pulled out of the parking lot into the stream of traffic heading for the morning rush hour on the Interstate.

Kyle voiced the first vital question of the day.

"Ok, guys first of all, any suggestions on what type of wheels we need?"

"Winnebago? We may need a bed for Max if he's gonna sleep much longer."

"That's cruel, Maria, Max can't help it if he's sick!"

"Sorry, Isobel, only half-joking, though. I really think some kind of car and trailer combo or RV would be best, if we must go camping. Lots of tourists do it, this is a major area for hiking and camping trails."

"Not a bad idea, Maria. If we can get one of those, it might go someway towards bearable if we really have to camp."

"We really do, Isobel. Sorry to disappoint you ladies, but the drawback is how far into the backwoods can we risk it before it gets stuck in the mud on the dirt roads? We'd be forced to stay in RV campsites. Expensive. Public. When we said camp we meant, like, really camp. In tents. In the mountains. No, what we need is some kind of off-road wilderness 4WD, like a Chevy Suburban or an SUV."

"Valenti's right. This is our only option for now and it will likely have to do for us for the rest of the summer, so we have to be prepared. First of all we've got to find somewhere to hide away and plan properly for the long term. This is just the emergency stage."

Michael spared a glance from the road to look at Kyle seriously.

"You're the expert on cars, Valenti, so you're our man."

"You know, I don't recall Buddha has any advice to cover this situation."

"Too bad, Kyle, you gotta wing it, then".

"Thanks for the support, DeLuca."

"Anytime."

"Next question. How are we gonna steal a Chevy from a dealer in broad daylight? Or even at night come to that."

"Answer is, Valenti, you're not. You are gonna rent one in the next city we come to."

"What, but you just said.."

"Michael means for us to steal one, it's just that if we steal a rental we get more time to make our getaway".

***Nice thinking, Spaceboy***

***Thanks, Blondie, you can show me your appreciation later on***

***If we ever get privacy again . . .(sigh) . . . Last night was Heaven . . .***

***It will be again, Maria***

"Pull over at the next rest station, Guerin, you can't concentrate seriously when you're driving."

A few minutes later, they parked and Liz went over to the vending machines.

"What's the plan, man?"

"We make the deal over the phone and arrange to pick it up just before they close. You stroll in, show the fake ID, pay the rental fee -oh, f*uck! Will they take cash? Will it look suspicious if we don't use a credit card? Who uses cash for major stuff? F*uck it, I thought I had a plan. Any ideas? Or will we have to just grab something off the street after all?"

"It still is a good plan, Guerin, don't throw it out yet."

"Here's Lizzie with the drinks. Thanks, chica. Ok, gang, we need ideas on how we can pay cash as a deposit without looking suspicious."

Everyone reached for a can of cherry coke, two aliens added Tabasco, and they all thought hard.

"DeLuca, you're too quiet, you aren't hatching some twisted plan in that flaky brain of yours?"

"Mmm, yeah, actually Kyle, I am. Isobel."

"What?"

"Isobel puts on her blonde supermodel act and does a "maiden in distress" routine on the guy (it probably has to be a guy) at the rental place. Let me think, she's in town staying with her mom, no, wait, her school friend, lost her wallet with her credit cards somewhere. She needs a car, a Chevy- whatever-you-said, Kyle, for a couple days to explore the area while her friend's at work. Her friend has loaned her some cash, but the card situation is complicating her life. Will he take payment in cash? Pretty please? It doesn't have to make too much sense if Isobel undoes enough buttons, thrusts her bust at him and promises to let him take her out to dinner when she returns from her little trip." She giggled. "Damn, I'm so brilliant, I dazzle myself, sometimes."

There was complete silence for a while until Kyle slowly began to applaud. Michael beckoned her over to him in the driver's seat and kissed her slowly and thoroughly while they all watched, stunned.

***I. Am. Awed. Maria, you are a goddess***

***You are a god, yourself. My own, personal sex god. Oh, we're an unbeatable team, Michael***

***We'll perform miracles together later, babe***

***I'll keep you to that, Spaceboy***

Isobel was bright red, torn between fury and laughter. Then she gave in to laughter, suddenly close to hysteria along with the others, while Max quietly slept on through it all.

Ten minutes later, Kyle checked the map and then they drove on, crossing from New Mexico to Colorado and heading for Pueblo, where the fugitives intended to commit their first major crime in order to survive - Maria's Grand Theft: Auto.

TBC . . .