~Chapter 22~
Week 6:
Bryce had Max and Victoria's 'crowns' removed. He had found another way of controlling their powers via an injection. Victoria had heard him say it had something to do with controlling parts of the brain - presumably the main parts that were involved in using powers, she thought. In any event, it worked.
The days continued to go on. They generally left Max alone now that they had the main thing they wanted. But they came for Victoria every day or so. Though they didn't use torture now, because they didn't need to and because they didn't want to risk her miscarrying their 'property'.
There was one thing Bryce didn't count on, however. The developing child had developing powers.
- -
Victoria was taken back to the white room one day. Max was nervously waiting for her as usual.
Max though she looked tired and sick, but then he probably looked that way from being in here himself, he thought. Plus, she was pregnant.
"How far along do they think you are?" Max asked as she came over to him and sat.
"They said they expected the duration to only be half as long as a normal pregnancy." -Victoria.
"I expected that. And with Tess- it was even more accelerated." -Victoria.
"I forgot. You're a pro at this." -Victoria.
"You're no stranger to it yourself." -Max.
Her and Michael's baby, of course. Victoria looked away. "Please don't bring that up."
Max wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."
She looked back at him and smiled slightly. "I know."
"So.um, you're probably somewhere around 3 months? The equivalent of, that is?" -Max.
She nodded. "And I know you're dreading this - like you wish you could wish it all away."
"Yes. But I never said it about . about -." -Max.
"- -the baby?" Victoria finished for him.
"Yes." -Max.
"Well you can't even say the word." -Victoria.
"Victoria-" Max started in something of an apology.
"No, Max, I understand. Believe me. I don't want this either. Or at least I didn't - but now, there's no going back." -Victoria.
They sat in silence for long moments and then Victoria whispered, "I think the baby can feel things, know things. I've started having dreams, which I haven't been able to since being in here."
"But maybe that could be because of the new method of keeping us unable to use our powers." -Max.
"I don't think so. Besides, it seems logical since it isn't a human baby. Just because I can't use my powers, doesn't mean it can't be developing its powers." -Victoria.
Max studied her for a moment and then he whispered, "Maybe you can use that somehow. I don't know how, but-"
"I think I do." Victoria whispered back. "I think since he or she is connected to me in all ways, maybe I connect to its powers too or maybe we can use it together."
"How so?" -Max.
"I don't know. I can't really explain. But I'm going to try." -Victoria.
"Is there anything I can do?" -Max.
"Just lay down here beside me, back facing the glass side. We'll pretend to sleep." -Victoria.
- -
Isabel had been driving herself crazy trying to see that place again. The place where Max and Victoria were being kept. But Lonnie had seen her in her dream - for it had to have been Lonnie's dream. She couldn't dream-walk the others. And Lonnie had somehow shut her out. She hadn't been able to do it again. She tried to no end. Her husband had seen how hard she'd tried for days and days and weeks now to no avail. He'd told her to give up on that - that they would find them some other way. But she knew there was no other way.
So for the hundredth time perhaps, she tried again...
And this time she was in. - -
Victoria didn't pretend to sleep, she actually drifted into sleep. And then a dream came.
A warm, shadowy place. Water lulled somewhere in the background. It didn't seem threatening or ominous, this place. It was. nice.
She heard a baby cry.
She turned all around the enclosed warmth. She saw no walls - so she didn't know what kind of building it was.
And then, she saw it. In the center on a platform of sorts, lay a baby. Lights bordered it.
Closer, she saw that the lights were a V. The Antarean Galaxy symbol. she recognized it as she looked down at the baby. It lay looking at her. He was quiet then. He.
She picked the baby up and held him. And then, she knew. It was her baby. Her son. The symbol had bordered the heir.
Victoria looked up as she saw another person standing in the distance. - -
Isabel was standing in a hazy room - warm. She was in someone's dream. She didn't know who's, but then she saw her. Victoria stood holding something.
Isabel walked to her and when she got close, she realized this something . was a baby???
"Isabel!" -Victoria.
"Victoria!" -Isabel
"Is it really you? Are you in this dream?" Victoria asked.
"Yes. I don't know how I was able to do this - I couldn't dream-walk you before." -Isabel.
"It's not my dream. I'm just walking in it too." - Victoria.
"Who's then?" Isabel asked, and then focusing on the baby again, she asked, "Why are you holding a baby."
Victoria looked down at the baby in her arms as Isabel looked down at it. Then they both raised their eyes at the same time.
"Yours?" Isabel asked, knowing, as she looked at Victoria.
"Yes. And your brother's." -Victoria.
"Max's?! How?! When?" -Isabel asked, at a loss.
"I can't explain now. But. Isabel, you can't tell anyone!" -Victoria.
"Victoria-" Isabel started.
"Please, don't. Not yet." -Victoria.
"Okay," Isabel said. "I don't understand - but your secret's safe with me for now." And then she asked quickly, "How is Max?"
"We're both alive, Isabel. For a while, I think. But we don't know what's going to happen. We have to get out of there!" -Victoria.
"That's what I'm trying to do. No one knows where you two are. We have no clue. I did dream-walk Lonnie and saw the building where you're at from the inside. But - she shut me out. Where are you?" -Isabel.
"I wish I knew. All I know is that this place is some kind of government place and that we're a long way from Roswell. Maybe even in another country, I don't know." -Victoria.
"How am I going to find out where?" Isabel said, worriedly.
"Dream-walk Lonnie again." -Victoria.
"I can't get in her head after she found me in her dream and shut me out." -Isabel.
"She's just blocking you. I've done it many times before coming here. But I can help you." -Victoria.
"How?" Isabel asked eagerly.
"I'm not completely sure it will work. But you can keep coming here again, and then I will meet you and when we are both here, we can get to Lonnie." -Victoria.
"But where is here and who am I dream-walking right now? You didn't answer before." -Isabel.
"It's the baby's dream. And I think I can help you access Lonnie. They are controlling our power so that Max and I can't use them. But, the baby certainly has growing powers. I think I can use that." Victoria said, glancing down at the baby.
Isabel looked down at the baby and then to Victoria. "That sounds very uncertain. I hope you know what you're talking about."
"So do I." -Victoria.
"I think I'm starting to lose this connection. It's really draining me." -Isabel.
"Then go for now." -Victoria.
"Remember - you have to come back here." Isabel said.
"I will." Victoria told Isabel - and Isabel was gone.
Victoria was still in the dream. She kissed the tiny cheek of her baby. And then, she heard another baby. She couldn't see it, but she heard it. It made no sense. But then she was already waking.
- -
Week 6:
Bryce had Max and Victoria's 'crowns' removed. He had found another way of controlling their powers via an injection. Victoria had heard him say it had something to do with controlling parts of the brain - presumably the main parts that were involved in using powers, she thought. In any event, it worked.
The days continued to go on. They generally left Max alone now that they had the main thing they wanted. But they came for Victoria every day or so. Though they didn't use torture now, because they didn't need to and because they didn't want to risk her miscarrying their 'property'.
There was one thing Bryce didn't count on, however. The developing child had developing powers.
- -
Victoria was taken back to the white room one day. Max was nervously waiting for her as usual.
Max though she looked tired and sick, but then he probably looked that way from being in here himself, he thought. Plus, she was pregnant.
"How far along do they think you are?" Max asked as she came over to him and sat.
"They said they expected the duration to only be half as long as a normal pregnancy." -Victoria.
"I expected that. And with Tess- it was even more accelerated." -Victoria.
"I forgot. You're a pro at this." -Victoria.
"You're no stranger to it yourself." -Max.
Her and Michael's baby, of course. Victoria looked away. "Please don't bring that up."
Max wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."
She looked back at him and smiled slightly. "I know."
"So.um, you're probably somewhere around 3 months? The equivalent of, that is?" -Max.
She nodded. "And I know you're dreading this - like you wish you could wish it all away."
"Yes. But I never said it about . about -." -Max.
"- -the baby?" Victoria finished for him.
"Yes." -Max.
"Well you can't even say the word." -Victoria.
"Victoria-" Max started in something of an apology.
"No, Max, I understand. Believe me. I don't want this either. Or at least I didn't - but now, there's no going back." -Victoria.
They sat in silence for long moments and then Victoria whispered, "I think the baby can feel things, know things. I've started having dreams, which I haven't been able to since being in here."
"But maybe that could be because of the new method of keeping us unable to use our powers." -Max.
"I don't think so. Besides, it seems logical since it isn't a human baby. Just because I can't use my powers, doesn't mean it can't be developing its powers." -Victoria.
Max studied her for a moment and then he whispered, "Maybe you can use that somehow. I don't know how, but-"
"I think I do." Victoria whispered back. "I think since he or she is connected to me in all ways, maybe I connect to its powers too or maybe we can use it together."
"How so?" -Max.
"I don't know. I can't really explain. But I'm going to try." -Victoria.
"Is there anything I can do?" -Max.
"Just lay down here beside me, back facing the glass side. We'll pretend to sleep." -Victoria.
- -
Isabel had been driving herself crazy trying to see that place again. The place where Max and Victoria were being kept. But Lonnie had seen her in her dream - for it had to have been Lonnie's dream. She couldn't dream-walk the others. And Lonnie had somehow shut her out. She hadn't been able to do it again. She tried to no end. Her husband had seen how hard she'd tried for days and days and weeks now to no avail. He'd told her to give up on that - that they would find them some other way. But she knew there was no other way.
So for the hundredth time perhaps, she tried again...
And this time she was in. - -
Victoria didn't pretend to sleep, she actually drifted into sleep. And then a dream came.
A warm, shadowy place. Water lulled somewhere in the background. It didn't seem threatening or ominous, this place. It was. nice.
She heard a baby cry.
She turned all around the enclosed warmth. She saw no walls - so she didn't know what kind of building it was.
And then, she saw it. In the center on a platform of sorts, lay a baby. Lights bordered it.
Closer, she saw that the lights were a V. The Antarean Galaxy symbol. she recognized it as she looked down at the baby. It lay looking at her. He was quiet then. He.
She picked the baby up and held him. And then, she knew. It was her baby. Her son. The symbol had bordered the heir.
Victoria looked up as she saw another person standing in the distance. - -
Isabel was standing in a hazy room - warm. She was in someone's dream. She didn't know who's, but then she saw her. Victoria stood holding something.
Isabel walked to her and when she got close, she realized this something . was a baby???
"Isabel!" -Victoria.
"Victoria!" -Isabel
"Is it really you? Are you in this dream?" Victoria asked.
"Yes. I don't know how I was able to do this - I couldn't dream-walk you before." -Isabel.
"It's not my dream. I'm just walking in it too." - Victoria.
"Who's then?" Isabel asked, and then focusing on the baby again, she asked, "Why are you holding a baby."
Victoria looked down at the baby in her arms as Isabel looked down at it. Then they both raised their eyes at the same time.
"Yours?" Isabel asked, knowing, as she looked at Victoria.
"Yes. And your brother's." -Victoria.
"Max's?! How?! When?" -Isabel asked, at a loss.
"I can't explain now. But. Isabel, you can't tell anyone!" -Victoria.
"Victoria-" Isabel started.
"Please, don't. Not yet." -Victoria.
"Okay," Isabel said. "I don't understand - but your secret's safe with me for now." And then she asked quickly, "How is Max?"
"We're both alive, Isabel. For a while, I think. But we don't know what's going to happen. We have to get out of there!" -Victoria.
"That's what I'm trying to do. No one knows where you two are. We have no clue. I did dream-walk Lonnie and saw the building where you're at from the inside. But - she shut me out. Where are you?" -Isabel.
"I wish I knew. All I know is that this place is some kind of government place and that we're a long way from Roswell. Maybe even in another country, I don't know." -Victoria.
"How am I going to find out where?" Isabel said, worriedly.
"Dream-walk Lonnie again." -Victoria.
"I can't get in her head after she found me in her dream and shut me out." -Isabel.
"She's just blocking you. I've done it many times before coming here. But I can help you." -Victoria.
"How?" Isabel asked eagerly.
"I'm not completely sure it will work. But you can keep coming here again, and then I will meet you and when we are both here, we can get to Lonnie." -Victoria.
"But where is here and who am I dream-walking right now? You didn't answer before." -Isabel.
"It's the baby's dream. And I think I can help you access Lonnie. They are controlling our power so that Max and I can't use them. But, the baby certainly has growing powers. I think I can use that." Victoria said, glancing down at the baby.
Isabel looked down at the baby and then to Victoria. "That sounds very uncertain. I hope you know what you're talking about."
"So do I." -Victoria.
"I think I'm starting to lose this connection. It's really draining me." -Isabel.
"Then go for now." -Victoria.
"Remember - you have to come back here." Isabel said.
"I will." Victoria told Isabel - and Isabel was gone.
Victoria was still in the dream. She kissed the tiny cheek of her baby. And then, she heard another baby. She couldn't see it, but she heard it. It made no sense. But then she was already waking.
- -