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CHAPTER FOUR:
A week after returning from his trip to the Grand Canyon with Isabel, Alex was heading over to Isabel's house. The sun was setting, painting the sky with bright colors of orange and yellow, just before turning to the blackness of night.
Alex was always happy to see his beloved Isabel, but this time, he was a feeling a little bit of trepidation. Isabel had sounded somewhat strange, subdued, on the phone when she called him and asked him to come over. He knew things had not been the best for her lately. Their little trip out of town pissed Max off even more than he was before, and he had been spending time with Tess, avoiding his sister and the rest of his friends.
He pulled up into the Evans' house, and saw no one's car in the driveway. Isabel's parents were out of town, and Max's jeep was not there either. He figured that Isabel and he would have the house to themselves.
Alex went to the front door and knocked. The door was opened, and Alex stood awestruck by the sight before him. Isabel greeted him wearing a red dress, her hair flowing down past her shoulders, a bright smile decorating Isabel's face.
"Wow!" said Alex. "You...you look...amazing. I didn't know we were doing something...formal, or I would have dressed up..."
"You didn't have to," said Isabel. "I wanted...I wanted to look pretty...for you, tonight."
"Sweetie, you always look beautiful to me," said Alex. He walked forward, and kissed Isabel on the lips. "But, I will say, you have outdone yourself in that department tonight. What's the occasion?"
"Come in," said Isabel. "I'll tell you."
Alex stepped inside and Isabel closed the door. She led him to her bedroom, and indicated that he should have a seat on her bed. Joining him on the bed, Isabel took Alex's hand in hers.
"Alex, there's something I have to tell you," said Isabel. "Something...something has happened. Its all been...very sudden, and very...hard to take in. But I wanted to tell you, in person, now...while I still have time."
"Isabel, you're spooking me a bit here," said Alex. "You make it sound like you're dying."
"I feel like I am, in a way," she said. Gently caressing Alex's cheek, she continued. "Max and Tess....they, well, had sex, and when they did, something happened. Alex, Tess is pregnant with Max's child."
Alex was taken aback by the statement. If he hadn't already been sitting, he would have collapsed onto the bed in shock. He already had been startled by Isabel's revelation, but also had the feeling there was more.
"Go on," he said, knowing that the other shoe was about to drop.
"Alex, the baby...it can't survive in Earth's atmosphere," said Isabel. "Its dying. The only way to save it is to take it to Antar. So, tomorrow...Max, Michael, Tess, and I...we're leaving."
Alex stared at Isabel for several moments with no response, letting the last part of what she said sink in. Isabel, the love of his life, was leaving tomorrow, for another planet. And might never be coming back. He didn't know what to feel, what to say. So, for the moment, he decided to press for details while he sorted out his feelings.
"How?" he asked.
"The granolith," said Isabel. "Tess, somehow, was able to translate the book written in the Antarian language we have. It gave instructions on how to operate the granolith. It leaves tomorrow morning. We're going to be on it."
"Why do you have to go?" asked Alex. "Tess is the one who is knocked up."
"Max is the Father," said Isabel. "And my brother. We've been angry with each other lately, but...he is still my brother. We've patched things up between us, at least. Alex, I love you so much, but Max...he is my home. He needs me, and I need him. But believe me, it is tearing me apart that I have to leave you and my parents, and our friends behind."
"But how do you know that Tess isn't lying about this?" asked Alex. "You know she has always been more interested in going to Antar than the rest of you. And she just happens to translate this book in the nick of time. Isabel, I don't like this. This whole thing stinks to high heaven, and Tess is behind it."
"Alex, I know you are upset," said Isabel. "And I also know how you have been suspicious of Tess lately. But, Max...he was able to communicate, mentally, with the baby. He confirmed the fact that Tess is pregnant, and the baby is dying. How she translated the book is not germain to that fact."
"Isabel, something inside of me is telling me that this is all wrong, that Tess is pulling some kind of fast one on all of you," said Alex.
"Alex!" said Isabel, with frustration. "Maybe you are right! Maybe she did arrange all of this so she could go back to Antar. I don't know! But what I do know is that we are going, because Max needs to help his son, and I need to be there for him!"
She got up from the bed and walked over to the window. Alex stared at her for a moment, doing nothing, until he heard her begin to sob. Then, the protective boyfriend instinct kicked in, and he walked over to her and pulled her into his arms.
"I'm sorry," said Alex. "I...I guess, I don't want you to go."
"I don't want to leave you, Alex," said Isabel. "But I have to. This is going to be my last night on Earth, literally. I wanted to spend it with you."
"Can you take me with you, tomorrow?" asked Alex.
Isabel shook her head. "No," she said. "The granolith only has room for four. It was made for us. Even if there was room, I wouldn't take you with me. I couldn't do that to you. Take you away from your life, here."
"You are my life," said Alex.
"Alex, I don't know if I will be able to come back to you," said Isabel. "If I can, I will. Believe that. But, just in case that day never comes, I want you to go on with your life. Don't wait for me. Be happy."
Now, tears were running down Alex's cheeks as well as Isabel's. "But, how can I be happy when you are gone? When I don't know whether you are safe? Isabel, I love you."
"And I love you," said Isabel. "I feel like I am dying because I have to leave you. But, I didn't want to leave without....Alex, I....I was wondering if you would do something for me."
"Anything," said Alex.
"Alex, I don't know if you are ready for this or not, but we have so little time left for us. Feel free to say no if you aren't ready," said Isabel. "But, since this will be our last night together ....Alex, will...will you make love to me?"
"Are you sure?" asked Alex.
"Very," said Isabel.
The two lovers began to kiss passionately, and slowly made their way over to the waiting bed.
**
Alex was standing in a void of zeros and ones, green ones such as those that appeared on an old computer screen before the more modern graphic displays came along. The numbers filled the space around him, seeming to take away all of his room to breath.
Finally, in desperation to escape from being smothered by the numbers, Alex broke through them by ramming his fist into the void, and the numbers fell away like broken glass. Replacing them was a room, spartanly furnished with bashe walls, a bed, and a table with some papers on it. He stood there for a moment, trying to figure out where he was at, finding the room somehow familiar, but not able to quite remember where he had seen it.
Then, much to his surprise, he saw another Alex come into the room. He came out of a bathroom, put on a coat, and left the room. Curious, Alex followed his double into a corridor of what looked like a college dormitory. They walked past other students who were carrying school books and talking about various topics, and exited the building. Alex recognized the campus-it was the University in Las Cruces. He had been there once before for a computer conference that he begged his Dad to take him to when he was in the 9th Grade. The University had a top class super computer and computer technology department, and was on the list of possible colleges for Alex to attend.
He followed his double across campus to another building, which Alex recognized as the computer sciences building. They went into the building, made their way through the corridors, and entered a room with a terminal which seemed to access the supercomputer in the building. The other Alex sat down, punched in a code, and began working.
Alex was curious to see what his double was working on, and got closer. Looking on the screen, he saw a series of symbols which looked somehow familiar, and they were being translated into English.
Then, in a flash, the scene around Alex changed. He was now standing in Sheriff Valenti's house in Roswell, in Kyle's room to be exact. The other Alex was also there, and seemed to be talking to someone in a strange tone. The double sounded almost like robot, spouting off something about "the Royal Four", whom Alex knew to be Max, Michael, Isabel, and Tess.
Much to Alex's surprise, he saw that his double was speaking to Tess. The other listened intently to what the other Alex had to say, then spoke to him.
"You have done well," said Tess. "You will remember nothing. You had a great trip to Sweeden, and that is what you will remember. Nothing of this is real, only the trip to Sweeden is real. Do you understand?"
"I understand," said the other Alex.
Then, Kyle walked into the room, and looked startled. Tess turned to him, stared at him intently, and spoke slowly to Kyle. "Go away, remember nothing of this. This never...happened. Understood?"
Kyle nodded, turned, and left the room. Tess then turned to the other Alex.
"Return to Roswell now," said Tess. "Remember, you have been in Sweeden, and can't wait to tell your friends about it. You even have slides to show them, a girl to tell them about. That is your reality now. This never happened."
The scene began to fade away again, and the void of numbers returned. Alex was enveloped by the numbers once again, but instinctively fought against them. They were keeping him from a memory, a memory he had accessed. Somehow, he knew that he was remembering two sets of events, but couldn't figure out which was real and which was not. Alex screamed, his mind a jumble of mixed up information, until finally, the numbers once again shattered and disintegrated. Then, a face, the face of Tess Harding, stared at him, telling him to forget.
"NO!!" Alex screamed. "IT'S ALL A LIE!! YOU ARE A LIE!! I REMEMBER!! I WILL REMEMBER!!"
Then, Alex rose up and screamed, finding himself in bed, waking from the dream. But Alex knew what he remembered was not a dream, it was an awakened memory. Alex now remembered the truth. He had never gone to Sweeden. That was a lie, a trick of the mind, caused by Tess Harding. She mind warped him, and used him to translate a book-the Antarian book that included instructions on how to operate the granolith.
"That's how," thought Alex. "The book...translated...trap...Isabel...danger."
"ISABEL!" said Alex, reaching over to find the bed next to him empty.
After making love to Isabel in her bed, the two lovers lay together side by side, Isabel snuggled up against Alex, her head resting on his chest. They didn't say anything, until they exchanged a quiet "I love you", before Alex drifted off to sleep.
"Where is she?" asked Alex of no one in particular. "Danger....Isabel...Tess...lies..."
His mind was all a jumble. He couldn't even remember where he was, what day it was, for a few moments. The only thoughts that held clearly in his mind were "Isabel" and "danger", and the source of that danger, "Tess". The memories of what had trully happened to him for that month he was away from Roswell were flooding back, but his false memories remained, and they clouded his mind with confusing imagery.
Then, Alex saw a piece of paper on the bed where Isabel had been sleeping just hours before. He reached over, and looked at the note, but could only get a few words of it into his head. Isabel had left, was leaving, said goodbye. The rest were platitudes of love and rememberance.
"No," said Alex. "Warn....help....need to stop Tess....danger...Isabel..."
He reached over, and grabbed the phone. He needed to call for help. He tried to remember the number. His mind was still clouded. Finally, the number appeared in his mind, and he dialed.
The phone rang. Then, a voice answered on the other line.
"Hello."
It was Liz Parker. Alex sighed with relief.
"Liz," said Alex, sounding slightly like he was sobbing.
"Alex," said Liz with a startled tone over the phone. "What...what's wrong?"
"Isabel...others, gone," he said.
"I know," said Liz. "They'll be leaving soon. They've gone to the granolith."
"NO!" said Alex. "Danger...Tess...she did something to me. I was never in Sweeden. She mind warped me, Liz. Help me!! Help Isabel!!! My mind...my head...its all so mixed up!!!! Isabel in danger!! STOP THEM!! TESS IS LYING!!!"
End of Chapter Four. Chapter Five coming soon.
Ah, cliffhangers. Don't you love them? You'll just have to tune in for the next installment to find out what happens next. In the meantime, please do post some reviews for my story. Let me know what you think of it so far. Any comments you may have are welcomed.
CHAPTER FOUR:
A week after returning from his trip to the Grand Canyon with Isabel, Alex was heading over to Isabel's house. The sun was setting, painting the sky with bright colors of orange and yellow, just before turning to the blackness of night.
Alex was always happy to see his beloved Isabel, but this time, he was a feeling a little bit of trepidation. Isabel had sounded somewhat strange, subdued, on the phone when she called him and asked him to come over. He knew things had not been the best for her lately. Their little trip out of town pissed Max off even more than he was before, and he had been spending time with Tess, avoiding his sister and the rest of his friends.
He pulled up into the Evans' house, and saw no one's car in the driveway. Isabel's parents were out of town, and Max's jeep was not there either. He figured that Isabel and he would have the house to themselves.
Alex went to the front door and knocked. The door was opened, and Alex stood awestruck by the sight before him. Isabel greeted him wearing a red dress, her hair flowing down past her shoulders, a bright smile decorating Isabel's face.
"Wow!" said Alex. "You...you look...amazing. I didn't know we were doing something...formal, or I would have dressed up..."
"You didn't have to," said Isabel. "I wanted...I wanted to look pretty...for you, tonight."
"Sweetie, you always look beautiful to me," said Alex. He walked forward, and kissed Isabel on the lips. "But, I will say, you have outdone yourself in that department tonight. What's the occasion?"
"Come in," said Isabel. "I'll tell you."
Alex stepped inside and Isabel closed the door. She led him to her bedroom, and indicated that he should have a seat on her bed. Joining him on the bed, Isabel took Alex's hand in hers.
"Alex, there's something I have to tell you," said Isabel. "Something...something has happened. Its all been...very sudden, and very...hard to take in. But I wanted to tell you, in person, now...while I still have time."
"Isabel, you're spooking me a bit here," said Alex. "You make it sound like you're dying."
"I feel like I am, in a way," she said. Gently caressing Alex's cheek, she continued. "Max and Tess....they, well, had sex, and when they did, something happened. Alex, Tess is pregnant with Max's child."
Alex was taken aback by the statement. If he hadn't already been sitting, he would have collapsed onto the bed in shock. He already had been startled by Isabel's revelation, but also had the feeling there was more.
"Go on," he said, knowing that the other shoe was about to drop.
"Alex, the baby...it can't survive in Earth's atmosphere," said Isabel. "Its dying. The only way to save it is to take it to Antar. So, tomorrow...Max, Michael, Tess, and I...we're leaving."
Alex stared at Isabel for several moments with no response, letting the last part of what she said sink in. Isabel, the love of his life, was leaving tomorrow, for another planet. And might never be coming back. He didn't know what to feel, what to say. So, for the moment, he decided to press for details while he sorted out his feelings.
"How?" he asked.
"The granolith," said Isabel. "Tess, somehow, was able to translate the book written in the Antarian language we have. It gave instructions on how to operate the granolith. It leaves tomorrow morning. We're going to be on it."
"Why do you have to go?" asked Alex. "Tess is the one who is knocked up."
"Max is the Father," said Isabel. "And my brother. We've been angry with each other lately, but...he is still my brother. We've patched things up between us, at least. Alex, I love you so much, but Max...he is my home. He needs me, and I need him. But believe me, it is tearing me apart that I have to leave you and my parents, and our friends behind."
"But how do you know that Tess isn't lying about this?" asked Alex. "You know she has always been more interested in going to Antar than the rest of you. And she just happens to translate this book in the nick of time. Isabel, I don't like this. This whole thing stinks to high heaven, and Tess is behind it."
"Alex, I know you are upset," said Isabel. "And I also know how you have been suspicious of Tess lately. But, Max...he was able to communicate, mentally, with the baby. He confirmed the fact that Tess is pregnant, and the baby is dying. How she translated the book is not germain to that fact."
"Isabel, something inside of me is telling me that this is all wrong, that Tess is pulling some kind of fast one on all of you," said Alex.
"Alex!" said Isabel, with frustration. "Maybe you are right! Maybe she did arrange all of this so she could go back to Antar. I don't know! But what I do know is that we are going, because Max needs to help his son, and I need to be there for him!"
She got up from the bed and walked over to the window. Alex stared at her for a moment, doing nothing, until he heard her begin to sob. Then, the protective boyfriend instinct kicked in, and he walked over to her and pulled her into his arms.
"I'm sorry," said Alex. "I...I guess, I don't want you to go."
"I don't want to leave you, Alex," said Isabel. "But I have to. This is going to be my last night on Earth, literally. I wanted to spend it with you."
"Can you take me with you, tomorrow?" asked Alex.
Isabel shook her head. "No," she said. "The granolith only has room for four. It was made for us. Even if there was room, I wouldn't take you with me. I couldn't do that to you. Take you away from your life, here."
"You are my life," said Alex.
"Alex, I don't know if I will be able to come back to you," said Isabel. "If I can, I will. Believe that. But, just in case that day never comes, I want you to go on with your life. Don't wait for me. Be happy."
Now, tears were running down Alex's cheeks as well as Isabel's. "But, how can I be happy when you are gone? When I don't know whether you are safe? Isabel, I love you."
"And I love you," said Isabel. "I feel like I am dying because I have to leave you. But, I didn't want to leave without....Alex, I....I was wondering if you would do something for me."
"Anything," said Alex.
"Alex, I don't know if you are ready for this or not, but we have so little time left for us. Feel free to say no if you aren't ready," said Isabel. "But, since this will be our last night together ....Alex, will...will you make love to me?"
"Are you sure?" asked Alex.
"Very," said Isabel.
The two lovers began to kiss passionately, and slowly made their way over to the waiting bed.
**
Alex was standing in a void of zeros and ones, green ones such as those that appeared on an old computer screen before the more modern graphic displays came along. The numbers filled the space around him, seeming to take away all of his room to breath.
Finally, in desperation to escape from being smothered by the numbers, Alex broke through them by ramming his fist into the void, and the numbers fell away like broken glass. Replacing them was a room, spartanly furnished with bashe walls, a bed, and a table with some papers on it. He stood there for a moment, trying to figure out where he was at, finding the room somehow familiar, but not able to quite remember where he had seen it.
Then, much to his surprise, he saw another Alex come into the room. He came out of a bathroom, put on a coat, and left the room. Curious, Alex followed his double into a corridor of what looked like a college dormitory. They walked past other students who were carrying school books and talking about various topics, and exited the building. Alex recognized the campus-it was the University in Las Cruces. He had been there once before for a computer conference that he begged his Dad to take him to when he was in the 9th Grade. The University had a top class super computer and computer technology department, and was on the list of possible colleges for Alex to attend.
He followed his double across campus to another building, which Alex recognized as the computer sciences building. They went into the building, made their way through the corridors, and entered a room with a terminal which seemed to access the supercomputer in the building. The other Alex sat down, punched in a code, and began working.
Alex was curious to see what his double was working on, and got closer. Looking on the screen, he saw a series of symbols which looked somehow familiar, and they were being translated into English.
Then, in a flash, the scene around Alex changed. He was now standing in Sheriff Valenti's house in Roswell, in Kyle's room to be exact. The other Alex was also there, and seemed to be talking to someone in a strange tone. The double sounded almost like robot, spouting off something about "the Royal Four", whom Alex knew to be Max, Michael, Isabel, and Tess.
Much to Alex's surprise, he saw that his double was speaking to Tess. The other listened intently to what the other Alex had to say, then spoke to him.
"You have done well," said Tess. "You will remember nothing. You had a great trip to Sweeden, and that is what you will remember. Nothing of this is real, only the trip to Sweeden is real. Do you understand?"
"I understand," said the other Alex.
Then, Kyle walked into the room, and looked startled. Tess turned to him, stared at him intently, and spoke slowly to Kyle. "Go away, remember nothing of this. This never...happened. Understood?"
Kyle nodded, turned, and left the room. Tess then turned to the other Alex.
"Return to Roswell now," said Tess. "Remember, you have been in Sweeden, and can't wait to tell your friends about it. You even have slides to show them, a girl to tell them about. That is your reality now. This never happened."
The scene began to fade away again, and the void of numbers returned. Alex was enveloped by the numbers once again, but instinctively fought against them. They were keeping him from a memory, a memory he had accessed. Somehow, he knew that he was remembering two sets of events, but couldn't figure out which was real and which was not. Alex screamed, his mind a jumble of mixed up information, until finally, the numbers once again shattered and disintegrated. Then, a face, the face of Tess Harding, stared at him, telling him to forget.
"NO!!" Alex screamed. "IT'S ALL A LIE!! YOU ARE A LIE!! I REMEMBER!! I WILL REMEMBER!!"
Then, Alex rose up and screamed, finding himself in bed, waking from the dream. But Alex knew what he remembered was not a dream, it was an awakened memory. Alex now remembered the truth. He had never gone to Sweeden. That was a lie, a trick of the mind, caused by Tess Harding. She mind warped him, and used him to translate a book-the Antarian book that included instructions on how to operate the granolith.
"That's how," thought Alex. "The book...translated...trap...Isabel...danger."
"ISABEL!" said Alex, reaching over to find the bed next to him empty.
After making love to Isabel in her bed, the two lovers lay together side by side, Isabel snuggled up against Alex, her head resting on his chest. They didn't say anything, until they exchanged a quiet "I love you", before Alex drifted off to sleep.
"Where is she?" asked Alex of no one in particular. "Danger....Isabel...Tess...lies..."
His mind was all a jumble. He couldn't even remember where he was, what day it was, for a few moments. The only thoughts that held clearly in his mind were "Isabel" and "danger", and the source of that danger, "Tess". The memories of what had trully happened to him for that month he was away from Roswell were flooding back, but his false memories remained, and they clouded his mind with confusing imagery.
Then, Alex saw a piece of paper on the bed where Isabel had been sleeping just hours before. He reached over, and looked at the note, but could only get a few words of it into his head. Isabel had left, was leaving, said goodbye. The rest were platitudes of love and rememberance.
"No," said Alex. "Warn....help....need to stop Tess....danger...Isabel..."
He reached over, and grabbed the phone. He needed to call for help. He tried to remember the number. His mind was still clouded. Finally, the number appeared in his mind, and he dialed.
The phone rang. Then, a voice answered on the other line.
"Hello."
It was Liz Parker. Alex sighed with relief.
"Liz," said Alex, sounding slightly like he was sobbing.
"Alex," said Liz with a startled tone over the phone. "What...what's wrong?"
"Isabel...others, gone," he said.
"I know," said Liz. "They'll be leaving soon. They've gone to the granolith."
"NO!" said Alex. "Danger...Tess...she did something to me. I was never in Sweeden. She mind warped me, Liz. Help me!! Help Isabel!!! My mind...my head...its all so mixed up!!!! Isabel in danger!! STOP THEM!! TESS IS LYING!!!"
End of Chapter Four. Chapter Five coming soon.
Ah, cliffhangers. Don't you love them? You'll just have to tune in for the next installment to find out what happens next. In the meantime, please do post some reviews for my story. Let me know what you think of it so far. Any comments you may have are welcomed.