*****************************
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE:
Alex was sitting at his terminal at work, helping someone out with a software problem over the phone. "Yes, all you need to do is reboot the system with that new update file installed, and it should work just fine," said Alex. "If you have any more problems, just call back, and we'll straighten it out for you. Thank you."
He hung up the phone, and filled out the proper information in the log he was required to keep of the difficulties customers were having with the software, and the solution recommended by him. In the two years since he had been working at the company (ever since they just arrived in Bangor), Alex had come to like his job, had received two raises for his achievements on the job, and was now a supervisor in charge of the whole tele-technicians department.
The phone rang on his in house line. "Alex Whitman here," said Alex.
"Alex," said Liz's voice on the other line.
"Liz," said Alex. "What's up?"
"Alex, you need to come home, right now," said Liz. "Its Isabel."
"What's wrong?" asked Alex.
"She collapsed," said Liz. "You need to come home."
"Okay, I'll be there as soon as possible!" said Alex.
**
"So, any details on what's wrong with Isabel?" asked Max, and Michael and he were driving to Isabel's and Alex's apartment.
"Just that she collapsed, and that she's delirious," said Michael, who was driving like a crazy man through traffic.
As Michael sped around a corner, he saw a man stepping onto a crosswalk. "LOOK OUT!" yelled Max.
But the warning came too late. Michael slammed on his breaks, but not in time to stop the car from hitting the man and throwing him to the pavement.
"OH SHIT!!" yelled Michael.
He and Max both leaped out of the car and ran to the fallen man's side. A pedestrian also ran up to the scene. "Call for help!" yelled Max.
"There's a pay phone down the street!" said the man. He took off, leaving Max and Michael with the injured pedestrian.
"Shit, Max," said Michael. "His head is cracked open. But, he's breathing."
"Look at me," said Max to the man. He was able to open his eyes and look at Max. Then, max put his hand on the man's head and it began to glow. Within a few moments, the man's head was healed.
"We've got to go," said Michael. "The police will be coming."
"You'll be fine now," said Max. "I'm sorry."
Max and Michael ran back to the car, got in, and sped off down the road. "He knows what we look like," said Michael. "I can change our license plates, but....the healing. The other pedestrian saw his injuries, and..."
"The handprint, I know," said Max. "But we caused his injuries. I couldn't just let him die!!"
"I know, Maxwell, and I agree with the decision!" said Michael. "Hell, I HIT the guy! But, the fact remains...we just exposed ourselves! We may have to bail out of Bangor, and hit the road again!"
"We'll talk about it with the others later," said Max. "For now, we've got to get to Isabel."
***
"ISABEL!" yelled Alex when he came into his apartment.
"In here, Alex!" yelled Liz's voice from the bedroom.
Alex ran into the room, and found Liz and Maria sitting with Isabel, who was writhing on the bed like she was delirious with a fever. "Oh my God, Isabel!" said Alex in panic.
He ran to the bed, knelt down beside it, and gently caressed Isabel's forehead and cheek. "She's burning up," said Alex. "What the hell's wrong?"
"We don't know," said Maria. "We called for Max. Michael's picking him up, and they are on the way."
"Alex," said Isabel's voice weakly. "You're here."
"I'm right here, baby!" said Alex. "Hang on. Max is coming."
"Hello!" yelled Michael's voice from the outer room.
"In here, quick!" yelled Alex back.
Max and Michael came running into the room. "Isabel," said Max in a worried tone, as he ran over and sat next to her weak form on the bed. "What are you feeling right now?"
"Hot," said Isabel. "Pain. My stomach."
Max reached down and touched Isabel on the stomach. Then, he seemed to enter a state of shock. His hand glowed over the stomach, and the stomach began to glow in response. Then, Max withdrew his hand, and ran his hand through his hair. "Holy shit!" said Max.
"What is it?" asked Alex. "What's wrong with her?"
"I recognize what's happening," said Max. "I saw it before. With Tess. Alex...Isabel is pregnant!"
Alex, along with everyone else in the room, fell completely silent, as Max's words sank in. Then, it was Maria who broke the silence. "Are you sure, Max?"
"It's the same thing that happened when Tess was pregnant," said Max. "Isabel's body, her reaction when I touched it...its using energy to nourish the baby and help it to grow."
"The fever, Max," said Liz. "Is it a side effect?"
"Yeah," said Max. "Tess' fevers came and went. They got less and less severe each time. I don't know about the late stages of the pregnancy. Tess was gone by then."
"She was also mind warping you at the time," said Michael. "You have no way of knowing how much of what she was experiencing was part of the mind warp."
"The mind warp was related to the baby itself," said Max. "About the baby supposedly not being able to live in Earth's atmosphere."
"Which turned out to be a load of shit, of course," said Maria.
"Right," said Max. "But I'm pretty sure the symptoms were genuine, especially given the fact that Isabel is experiencing them as well."
"Max," said Isabel's weak voice. "The baby. Is it...will it be okay?"
"It should," said Liz. "I mean, Tess' and Max's mating produced a completely human child. There is no reason to think that the same wouldn't be true of a child bred between a human/alien hybrid and a full human."
"What about the pregnancy?" asked Michael. "How long will it last?"
"The book, you're book said a month, I believe," said Liz. "All things being equal, that's probably how long it will be for Isabel, sine she's experiencing the same symptom logy."
"In a month," said Alex. "I'm going to be a Father. That's...oh my God."
Alex got up and began pacing the room. "Alex," said Isabel's voice. "What..."
"I can't believe this is happening," said Alex. "We were careful. I mean...we got those birth control pills from the free clinic, so no questions would be asked. Isabel didn't have any strange reactions to them, so..."
"One night," said Isabel. "Last week. Remember."
"Oh, yeah," said Alex. "I guess it does only take once."
"This is bad! This is not what we need right now," said Michael.
"Not what we NEED?" said Maria, her voice full of quiet anger. "BAD!! You stupid JERK!! Isabel is pregnant, having a baby! Not what we NEED!!!"
"I'm just saying that we have other PROBLEMS!" said Michael.
"What other problems?" asked Liz.
"We had an accident on the way here," said Max. "We hit a pedestrian. I healed him, and we were seen by him and at least one other person."
"God, the hand print," said Liz.
"If that gets out on the news service..." said Alex.
"It'll lead the special unit right to Bangor!" said Michael. "See what I mean now! With Isabel pregnant, how are we going to move if we have to!"
"This can't be happening," said Alex in a panicked voice. "We finally were building semi-normal lives, and all of this happens at once!! Its like Roswell...almost two and a half years ago, and we may have to uproot our lives again! And now Isabel is pregnant!"
"Alex..." said Isabel weakly, her voice tinged by a sob. "I'm sorry."
"Alex," said Liz. "Living room. Right now!"
Liz practically dragged Alex into the living room. When they got there, she turned and slapped Alex in the face.
"OWW!" yelled Alex. "What the hell?!"
"Alex, FOCUS!" said Liz. "Isabel NEEDS you right now, and they way you were talking...you were being an even bigger jerk than Michael was!! She is in there, feeling guilty because she feels like she screwed up your LIFE!! Now, she thinks she is even more guilty because she got pregnant, bringing you even more problems!"
"Its not her fault," said Alex.
"FAULT!" said Liz. "God, Alex, listen to yourself!! Isabel is carrying a baby! YOUR BABY!! And you're treating it like a thing, an unwanted problem!!! Do you really feel that way?!"
"No," said Alex quietly. Then, he ran his hands through his hair, and a look of realization passed over him. "Oh my God! Isabel....I've got to talk to her!"
Alex ran back into the bedroom. "Everyone," said Alex. "I need to talk to Isabel. Could you give us a few minutes?"
They all quietly left the room, complying with Alex's request. As Liz turned to go back into the living room once again, Alex kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks," he said. "For straightening me out."
"What are sisters for," said Liz.
After everyone had left, Alex went over to the bed. He lay down next to Isabel, and put his arms around her. "Isabel," he said quietly. "I am so sorry, baby. Please forgive me for being such a stupid fool."
"Alex," said Isabel, as she continued to sob. "I'm so scared!"
"Shh," said Alex, as he kissed away a tear that fell down her cheek. "It will be okay. I'm going to take care of you, we all will. We'll work this out. Just think, in a month...we're going to have a baby." He smiled. "I'm going to be a Father. You're going to be a Mother. And you know what. I think we're going to do a damned good job at it. Especially you."
Isabel looked at Alex. His smile was contagious, bringing a smile to her face as well. "You really think I'm going to be a good Mother?" said Isabel. "You're really happy about the baby?"
"Yes on both counts," said Alex. "I am ECSTATIC that you are carrying our child! I'm scared for you, knowing the pain and weakness you are feeling. Maybe a little guilty because I caused it."
"Alex, this baby," said Isabel. "The thought of having it...fills me with joy. You brought me that joy! But what if we have to leave? I don't know if I can. Will I be strong enough?"
"We'll work it out," said Alex. "Don't worry. In all likelihood, we won't have to go. Let's take this one step at a time. Right now, we need to keep you strong, for you and the baby. Max and Liz are our best bets at helping you right now."
"Alex," said Isabel. "Before we call them back in, can you just hold me for a while?"
He wrapped his arms tighter around her, cuddling her closer to him. She smiled, feeling his warmth and strength envelop her, and began to feel better. Alex rested one of his hands on her stomach, as if to tell the baby that its Daddy was here with Mommy, and they were going to take care of it.
****
Four men were sitting in a parked car in an empty parking lot in Washington D.C. It was after 1:00 in the morning, and the streets were quiet around them.
"How firm is this intel?" asked one of the men.
"A bunch of people at the hospital saw the hand print," said another one of the men. "Descriptions of the two guys in the car match those of two of our suspects. Max Evans and Michael Guerin. I was able to get this information from a contact I have with the Maine State Police."
"The four of us are all that is left of the old Special Unit," said the first man. "We are the last hope of exposing these alien creatures, and destroying them. For good. After that fiasco in Roswell two and a half years ago, we can no longer act with official sanction on this. We have to go in on our own, without agency knowledge or backup."
"What is our goal?" asked one of the other men. "Detain for questioning, so we will have proof?"
"No," said the first men. "We terminate them, and their human allies. Terminate them, we terminate the problem. Permanently! The proof we need can come from their autopsies afterward."
End of Chapter Twenty-five. Chapter Twenty-six coming soon.
I told you the action was going to heat up with this chapter. With a cliffhanger at the end of the chapter, no less. What will happen with the baby? Will the special unit get to them before they can escape? Only way to find out---tune in for the next chapter. Until then, please keep those reviews coming. I really do appreciate all of the feedback I have been getting, and would love to more.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE:
Alex was sitting at his terminal at work, helping someone out with a software problem over the phone. "Yes, all you need to do is reboot the system with that new update file installed, and it should work just fine," said Alex. "If you have any more problems, just call back, and we'll straighten it out for you. Thank you."
He hung up the phone, and filled out the proper information in the log he was required to keep of the difficulties customers were having with the software, and the solution recommended by him. In the two years since he had been working at the company (ever since they just arrived in Bangor), Alex had come to like his job, had received two raises for his achievements on the job, and was now a supervisor in charge of the whole tele-technicians department.
The phone rang on his in house line. "Alex Whitman here," said Alex.
"Alex," said Liz's voice on the other line.
"Liz," said Alex. "What's up?"
"Alex, you need to come home, right now," said Liz. "Its Isabel."
"What's wrong?" asked Alex.
"She collapsed," said Liz. "You need to come home."
"Okay, I'll be there as soon as possible!" said Alex.
**
"So, any details on what's wrong with Isabel?" asked Max, and Michael and he were driving to Isabel's and Alex's apartment.
"Just that she collapsed, and that she's delirious," said Michael, who was driving like a crazy man through traffic.
As Michael sped around a corner, he saw a man stepping onto a crosswalk. "LOOK OUT!" yelled Max.
But the warning came too late. Michael slammed on his breaks, but not in time to stop the car from hitting the man and throwing him to the pavement.
"OH SHIT!!" yelled Michael.
He and Max both leaped out of the car and ran to the fallen man's side. A pedestrian also ran up to the scene. "Call for help!" yelled Max.
"There's a pay phone down the street!" said the man. He took off, leaving Max and Michael with the injured pedestrian.
"Shit, Max," said Michael. "His head is cracked open. But, he's breathing."
"Look at me," said Max to the man. He was able to open his eyes and look at Max. Then, max put his hand on the man's head and it began to glow. Within a few moments, the man's head was healed.
"We've got to go," said Michael. "The police will be coming."
"You'll be fine now," said Max. "I'm sorry."
Max and Michael ran back to the car, got in, and sped off down the road. "He knows what we look like," said Michael. "I can change our license plates, but....the healing. The other pedestrian saw his injuries, and..."
"The handprint, I know," said Max. "But we caused his injuries. I couldn't just let him die!!"
"I know, Maxwell, and I agree with the decision!" said Michael. "Hell, I HIT the guy! But, the fact remains...we just exposed ourselves! We may have to bail out of Bangor, and hit the road again!"
"We'll talk about it with the others later," said Max. "For now, we've got to get to Isabel."
***
"ISABEL!" yelled Alex when he came into his apartment.
"In here, Alex!" yelled Liz's voice from the bedroom.
Alex ran into the room, and found Liz and Maria sitting with Isabel, who was writhing on the bed like she was delirious with a fever. "Oh my God, Isabel!" said Alex in panic.
He ran to the bed, knelt down beside it, and gently caressed Isabel's forehead and cheek. "She's burning up," said Alex. "What the hell's wrong?"
"We don't know," said Maria. "We called for Max. Michael's picking him up, and they are on the way."
"Alex," said Isabel's voice weakly. "You're here."
"I'm right here, baby!" said Alex. "Hang on. Max is coming."
"Hello!" yelled Michael's voice from the outer room.
"In here, quick!" yelled Alex back.
Max and Michael came running into the room. "Isabel," said Max in a worried tone, as he ran over and sat next to her weak form on the bed. "What are you feeling right now?"
"Hot," said Isabel. "Pain. My stomach."
Max reached down and touched Isabel on the stomach. Then, he seemed to enter a state of shock. His hand glowed over the stomach, and the stomach began to glow in response. Then, Max withdrew his hand, and ran his hand through his hair. "Holy shit!" said Max.
"What is it?" asked Alex. "What's wrong with her?"
"I recognize what's happening," said Max. "I saw it before. With Tess. Alex...Isabel is pregnant!"
Alex, along with everyone else in the room, fell completely silent, as Max's words sank in. Then, it was Maria who broke the silence. "Are you sure, Max?"
"It's the same thing that happened when Tess was pregnant," said Max. "Isabel's body, her reaction when I touched it...its using energy to nourish the baby and help it to grow."
"The fever, Max," said Liz. "Is it a side effect?"
"Yeah," said Max. "Tess' fevers came and went. They got less and less severe each time. I don't know about the late stages of the pregnancy. Tess was gone by then."
"She was also mind warping you at the time," said Michael. "You have no way of knowing how much of what she was experiencing was part of the mind warp."
"The mind warp was related to the baby itself," said Max. "About the baby supposedly not being able to live in Earth's atmosphere."
"Which turned out to be a load of shit, of course," said Maria.
"Right," said Max. "But I'm pretty sure the symptoms were genuine, especially given the fact that Isabel is experiencing them as well."
"Max," said Isabel's weak voice. "The baby. Is it...will it be okay?"
"It should," said Liz. "I mean, Tess' and Max's mating produced a completely human child. There is no reason to think that the same wouldn't be true of a child bred between a human/alien hybrid and a full human."
"What about the pregnancy?" asked Michael. "How long will it last?"
"The book, you're book said a month, I believe," said Liz. "All things being equal, that's probably how long it will be for Isabel, sine she's experiencing the same symptom logy."
"In a month," said Alex. "I'm going to be a Father. That's...oh my God."
Alex got up and began pacing the room. "Alex," said Isabel's voice. "What..."
"I can't believe this is happening," said Alex. "We were careful. I mean...we got those birth control pills from the free clinic, so no questions would be asked. Isabel didn't have any strange reactions to them, so..."
"One night," said Isabel. "Last week. Remember."
"Oh, yeah," said Alex. "I guess it does only take once."
"This is bad! This is not what we need right now," said Michael.
"Not what we NEED?" said Maria, her voice full of quiet anger. "BAD!! You stupid JERK!! Isabel is pregnant, having a baby! Not what we NEED!!!"
"I'm just saying that we have other PROBLEMS!" said Michael.
"What other problems?" asked Liz.
"We had an accident on the way here," said Max. "We hit a pedestrian. I healed him, and we were seen by him and at least one other person."
"God, the hand print," said Liz.
"If that gets out on the news service..." said Alex.
"It'll lead the special unit right to Bangor!" said Michael. "See what I mean now! With Isabel pregnant, how are we going to move if we have to!"
"This can't be happening," said Alex in a panicked voice. "We finally were building semi-normal lives, and all of this happens at once!! Its like Roswell...almost two and a half years ago, and we may have to uproot our lives again! And now Isabel is pregnant!"
"Alex..." said Isabel weakly, her voice tinged by a sob. "I'm sorry."
"Alex," said Liz. "Living room. Right now!"
Liz practically dragged Alex into the living room. When they got there, she turned and slapped Alex in the face.
"OWW!" yelled Alex. "What the hell?!"
"Alex, FOCUS!" said Liz. "Isabel NEEDS you right now, and they way you were talking...you were being an even bigger jerk than Michael was!! She is in there, feeling guilty because she feels like she screwed up your LIFE!! Now, she thinks she is even more guilty because she got pregnant, bringing you even more problems!"
"Its not her fault," said Alex.
"FAULT!" said Liz. "God, Alex, listen to yourself!! Isabel is carrying a baby! YOUR BABY!! And you're treating it like a thing, an unwanted problem!!! Do you really feel that way?!"
"No," said Alex quietly. Then, he ran his hands through his hair, and a look of realization passed over him. "Oh my God! Isabel....I've got to talk to her!"
Alex ran back into the bedroom. "Everyone," said Alex. "I need to talk to Isabel. Could you give us a few minutes?"
They all quietly left the room, complying with Alex's request. As Liz turned to go back into the living room once again, Alex kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks," he said. "For straightening me out."
"What are sisters for," said Liz.
After everyone had left, Alex went over to the bed. He lay down next to Isabel, and put his arms around her. "Isabel," he said quietly. "I am so sorry, baby. Please forgive me for being such a stupid fool."
"Alex," said Isabel, as she continued to sob. "I'm so scared!"
"Shh," said Alex, as he kissed away a tear that fell down her cheek. "It will be okay. I'm going to take care of you, we all will. We'll work this out. Just think, in a month...we're going to have a baby." He smiled. "I'm going to be a Father. You're going to be a Mother. And you know what. I think we're going to do a damned good job at it. Especially you."
Isabel looked at Alex. His smile was contagious, bringing a smile to her face as well. "You really think I'm going to be a good Mother?" said Isabel. "You're really happy about the baby?"
"Yes on both counts," said Alex. "I am ECSTATIC that you are carrying our child! I'm scared for you, knowing the pain and weakness you are feeling. Maybe a little guilty because I caused it."
"Alex, this baby," said Isabel. "The thought of having it...fills me with joy. You brought me that joy! But what if we have to leave? I don't know if I can. Will I be strong enough?"
"We'll work it out," said Alex. "Don't worry. In all likelihood, we won't have to go. Let's take this one step at a time. Right now, we need to keep you strong, for you and the baby. Max and Liz are our best bets at helping you right now."
"Alex," said Isabel. "Before we call them back in, can you just hold me for a while?"
He wrapped his arms tighter around her, cuddling her closer to him. She smiled, feeling his warmth and strength envelop her, and began to feel better. Alex rested one of his hands on her stomach, as if to tell the baby that its Daddy was here with Mommy, and they were going to take care of it.
****
Four men were sitting in a parked car in an empty parking lot in Washington D.C. It was after 1:00 in the morning, and the streets were quiet around them.
"How firm is this intel?" asked one of the men.
"A bunch of people at the hospital saw the hand print," said another one of the men. "Descriptions of the two guys in the car match those of two of our suspects. Max Evans and Michael Guerin. I was able to get this information from a contact I have with the Maine State Police."
"The four of us are all that is left of the old Special Unit," said the first man. "We are the last hope of exposing these alien creatures, and destroying them. For good. After that fiasco in Roswell two and a half years ago, we can no longer act with official sanction on this. We have to go in on our own, without agency knowledge or backup."
"What is our goal?" asked one of the other men. "Detain for questioning, so we will have proof?"
"No," said the first men. "We terminate them, and their human allies. Terminate them, we terminate the problem. Permanently! The proof we need can come from their autopsies afterward."
End of Chapter Twenty-five. Chapter Twenty-six coming soon.
I told you the action was going to heat up with this chapter. With a cliffhanger at the end of the chapter, no less. What will happen with the baby? Will the special unit get to them before they can escape? Only way to find out---tune in for the next chapter. Until then, please keep those reviews coming. I really do appreciate all of the feedback I have been getting, and would love to more.