"A lot's changed since we've seen you last." Liz said. Philip was confused,
it must have been something bad.
"Liz what happened?" he asked.
"I think we should have a house meeting." She said, "To tell you all at once." He nodded.
"Do you want me to go wake everyone up?" he suggested, she nodded and he left the room. Liz helped Michael up and sat him on the counter, he was concious but looked dizzy.
"Do we have to tell them everything?" he asked, looking her in the eye. His eyes were still white like they always were after he had a flash. She sighed.
"Yes we have to tell them everything." She handed him a wet cloth and he put it on his forehead.
"You know, you sound more and more like Max everyday."
"Philip what is it?" Diane asked, curious as to why she and everyone else in the house had been woken up.
"The kids have to tell us something." He answered.
"We do?" Isabel asked, confused.
Everyone was sitting in the living room, not knowing what was happening. Liz and Michael walked out of the kitchen. Max understood.
"He had another one didn't he?" he asked. Liz nodded, "Michael sit down," she said, he complied.
"Okay whats going on?" Jim asked.
"Look a lot has changed since we last saw you." Max stated,
"So I've heard." Philip mumbled.
"I guess we should tell you so you're not totally lost." Liz said.
"Please do." Said Amy. Max stood in front of them and took a deep breath,
"It all started few months ago..."
Three months earlier...
Michael sighed, he hated this job, it was boring. He had only been working in the bank for two weeks and he was already sick of it. He just sat there alone for most of the shift, this town couldn't afford a lot of security at their banks so he had to work on his own. Occasionally another guard would work with him, not tonight.
The job consisted of sitting in a chair and listening. The bank didn't have video cameras only alarms so he had to sit in the back room, listening for beeping noises, pointless really.
He glanced at his watch, 4am. Damn this job was slow, he doubted that anyone would ever rob this bank, it was a real piece of sh-
His thoughts were interupted by a beeping sound, the alarm. Michael jumped out of his chair and left the room cautiously. He went to the front of the bank but didn't see anybody, the door was open though, so he walked towards it. He was closing it when he heard a noise behind him, he whipped around, not fast enough. He didn't have enough time to think, let alone use his powers or the gun on his holster. The guy stood there, gun raised and shot Michael twice. Once in the stomach and again in the chest. He fell to the ground.
Michael heard noises, footsteps and banging around, then silence and he knew he was alone. He could feel the blood slipping out of him and knew he was going to die. His last thoughts were of his friends, of Maria. Then he breathed his last breath and his body turned to dust, the way all aliens die.
Max sat bolt upright in his bed. Did he feel what he thought he felt. Michael was....gone. No that couldn't be, Michael couldn't die. He heard a scream and he knew Isabel had felt it too. He dashed up and out of his room and ran into hers. She was sitting upright, crying.
"Isabel." He whispered, she looked at him and cried harder. Kyle, Maria and Liz ran into the room, they had heard Isabel scream too.
"What is it? What happened?" Kyle asked, terrified.
"Michael...hes...dead." Max said, not believing his own words. Maria crumpled to the floor, Liz caught her, she looked beyond crying, she looked ... dead.
"But...how? Why?" Kyle was confused.
"Look, I'm going to the bank right now, I'll be back later." Max said, running outside to his car and driving towards town.
Michael didn't know where he was. All around him was black, it felt...unearthly. It was dead silent. He laughed to himself, good choice of words. Then he heard a voice break the silence.
"Rath." The voice echoed.
'Holy shit.' Michael thought. Suddenly in front of him, a man appeared out of no where, he felt he had seen this man before, in another life. The man wore jeans and a black t-shirt, his hair was brown, he looked human.
"Rath, fear not, you are not dead." He spoke.
"I'm not?" Michael asked, disbelievingly.
"Only by human standards not by ours."
"Whose 'ours'?" Michael asked, though he had a pretty good idea.
"That is for you to discover at a future time." The man spoke.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Jost. I am here to help you before we send you back." Spoke Jost.
"Send me back? You can send me back?" Michael was relieved.
"Yes, but first I have to prepare you."
"How?" Jost raised his hands and Michael felt a wind surrounding him, though he couldn't see it, he couldn't see anything but Jost. Suddenly he felt an excrutiating pain in his head, it lasted for a moment that seemed like an eternity, then subsided.
"What was that?" Michael asked, "I though you were going to help me?"
"I am. Your duty is to protect King Zan and his sister Vilandra. I am merely helping you fulfil that duty by giving you what you need." Jost said, very formally.
"O...Kay." Michael said, "What did you give me?"
"Only the skills and abilities that you had in your past life. These skills will help you protect the Royals." Jost explained in a monotone, god this guy had no personality.
"What skills? What abilities?" Michael just wanted to go home but his curiousity got the better of him.
"You will discover them on your own. For now it is time to go back." Jost disappeared and it was silent again.
"Hello?!" Michael's voice echoed. Nothing happened, then, out of no where, the blackness disappeared and he was falling.
Max pulled up outside the bank and saw that the door was open. He stepped in. everything was dark but from the street light outside he could see, in the middle of the floor, a pile of dust. His heart wrenched, so it was true. He went to and kneeled over the pile, which was spread out on the ground in the shape of a human. Max felt choked, he didn't know what to do.
Then he saw it. A light glowing over the dust, a hazy light. Then all of a sudden, Michael lay in front of him.
"Michael!" Max exclaimed, grabbing his friend. Michael looked very confused.
"Michael, what happened?" Michael looked like he was trying to articulate what he was trying to say. He then explained to Max exactly what happened.
"Whoa." Was all Max could say.
"I know." Michael took a deep breath, he felt funny, like he knew something was coming.
"Maxwell, I feel weird." He said.
"what do you mean weird?" Max asked back, concerned.
"Like something is com-"Michael felt a blinding pain in his head, he saw lights, colours, flashes.
He saw Max, he saw himself. Max was sitting in front of him with his hands on 'michael's shoulders,'What just happened?" Max asked. Lights flashed, then Michael saw a police car pull up in front of the bank. All these visions were hazy and slow. Then all of a sudden, the pain stopped.
He was laying on the ground, Max kneeling beside him looking terrified.
"Michael are you okay?!" Max asked. Michael thought about it.
"Y-yes?" it was more of a question then a statement. Max put his hands on Michael's shoulders and shook him a bit.
"What just happened?" he asked. Michael looked at him funny, 'didn't this just happen?' he thought.
He saw flashing lights and a cop car pulled up in front of the bank.
'Holy crap!' thought Michael. The cop came inside the bank, gun drawn.
"Whats going on?" He asked, seeing that Michael was obviously the guard, hence the uniform, he aimed his gun at Max, thinking it was him that broke in.
"Someone broke in." Michael explained, the sooner they got out of there the better.
"Where did he go?" the cop asked, still looking at Max.
"I don't know, he knocked me out." Michael lied.
"Whos he?" still looking at Max.
"Oh...I'm his friend, I was coming to check on him and see how the job was going. I found him unconcious." The cop nodded, he believed them.
"Did you see the face of the guy?" he asked Michael.
"No." the cop nodded again, "Why don't you get home, I'll take over, I got to investigate anyways." He said.
Max and Michael got off the floor.
"Okay...well...bye."
TBC...
"Liz what happened?" he asked.
"I think we should have a house meeting." She said, "To tell you all at once." He nodded.
"Do you want me to go wake everyone up?" he suggested, she nodded and he left the room. Liz helped Michael up and sat him on the counter, he was concious but looked dizzy.
"Do we have to tell them everything?" he asked, looking her in the eye. His eyes were still white like they always were after he had a flash. She sighed.
"Yes we have to tell them everything." She handed him a wet cloth and he put it on his forehead.
"You know, you sound more and more like Max everyday."
"Philip what is it?" Diane asked, curious as to why she and everyone else in the house had been woken up.
"The kids have to tell us something." He answered.
"We do?" Isabel asked, confused.
Everyone was sitting in the living room, not knowing what was happening. Liz and Michael walked out of the kitchen. Max understood.
"He had another one didn't he?" he asked. Liz nodded, "Michael sit down," she said, he complied.
"Okay whats going on?" Jim asked.
"Look a lot has changed since we last saw you." Max stated,
"So I've heard." Philip mumbled.
"I guess we should tell you so you're not totally lost." Liz said.
"Please do." Said Amy. Max stood in front of them and took a deep breath,
"It all started few months ago..."
Three months earlier...
Michael sighed, he hated this job, it was boring. He had only been working in the bank for two weeks and he was already sick of it. He just sat there alone for most of the shift, this town couldn't afford a lot of security at their banks so he had to work on his own. Occasionally another guard would work with him, not tonight.
The job consisted of sitting in a chair and listening. The bank didn't have video cameras only alarms so he had to sit in the back room, listening for beeping noises, pointless really.
He glanced at his watch, 4am. Damn this job was slow, he doubted that anyone would ever rob this bank, it was a real piece of sh-
His thoughts were interupted by a beeping sound, the alarm. Michael jumped out of his chair and left the room cautiously. He went to the front of the bank but didn't see anybody, the door was open though, so he walked towards it. He was closing it when he heard a noise behind him, he whipped around, not fast enough. He didn't have enough time to think, let alone use his powers or the gun on his holster. The guy stood there, gun raised and shot Michael twice. Once in the stomach and again in the chest. He fell to the ground.
Michael heard noises, footsteps and banging around, then silence and he knew he was alone. He could feel the blood slipping out of him and knew he was going to die. His last thoughts were of his friends, of Maria. Then he breathed his last breath and his body turned to dust, the way all aliens die.
Max sat bolt upright in his bed. Did he feel what he thought he felt. Michael was....gone. No that couldn't be, Michael couldn't die. He heard a scream and he knew Isabel had felt it too. He dashed up and out of his room and ran into hers. She was sitting upright, crying.
"Isabel." He whispered, she looked at him and cried harder. Kyle, Maria and Liz ran into the room, they had heard Isabel scream too.
"What is it? What happened?" Kyle asked, terrified.
"Michael...hes...dead." Max said, not believing his own words. Maria crumpled to the floor, Liz caught her, she looked beyond crying, she looked ... dead.
"But...how? Why?" Kyle was confused.
"Look, I'm going to the bank right now, I'll be back later." Max said, running outside to his car and driving towards town.
Michael didn't know where he was. All around him was black, it felt...unearthly. It was dead silent. He laughed to himself, good choice of words. Then he heard a voice break the silence.
"Rath." The voice echoed.
'Holy shit.' Michael thought. Suddenly in front of him, a man appeared out of no where, he felt he had seen this man before, in another life. The man wore jeans and a black t-shirt, his hair was brown, he looked human.
"Rath, fear not, you are not dead." He spoke.
"I'm not?" Michael asked, disbelievingly.
"Only by human standards not by ours."
"Whose 'ours'?" Michael asked, though he had a pretty good idea.
"That is for you to discover at a future time." The man spoke.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Jost. I am here to help you before we send you back." Spoke Jost.
"Send me back? You can send me back?" Michael was relieved.
"Yes, but first I have to prepare you."
"How?" Jost raised his hands and Michael felt a wind surrounding him, though he couldn't see it, he couldn't see anything but Jost. Suddenly he felt an excrutiating pain in his head, it lasted for a moment that seemed like an eternity, then subsided.
"What was that?" Michael asked, "I though you were going to help me?"
"I am. Your duty is to protect King Zan and his sister Vilandra. I am merely helping you fulfil that duty by giving you what you need." Jost said, very formally.
"O...Kay." Michael said, "What did you give me?"
"Only the skills and abilities that you had in your past life. These skills will help you protect the Royals." Jost explained in a monotone, god this guy had no personality.
"What skills? What abilities?" Michael just wanted to go home but his curiousity got the better of him.
"You will discover them on your own. For now it is time to go back." Jost disappeared and it was silent again.
"Hello?!" Michael's voice echoed. Nothing happened, then, out of no where, the blackness disappeared and he was falling.
Max pulled up outside the bank and saw that the door was open. He stepped in. everything was dark but from the street light outside he could see, in the middle of the floor, a pile of dust. His heart wrenched, so it was true. He went to and kneeled over the pile, which was spread out on the ground in the shape of a human. Max felt choked, he didn't know what to do.
Then he saw it. A light glowing over the dust, a hazy light. Then all of a sudden, Michael lay in front of him.
"Michael!" Max exclaimed, grabbing his friend. Michael looked very confused.
"Michael, what happened?" Michael looked like he was trying to articulate what he was trying to say. He then explained to Max exactly what happened.
"Whoa." Was all Max could say.
"I know." Michael took a deep breath, he felt funny, like he knew something was coming.
"Maxwell, I feel weird." He said.
"what do you mean weird?" Max asked back, concerned.
"Like something is com-"Michael felt a blinding pain in his head, he saw lights, colours, flashes.
He saw Max, he saw himself. Max was sitting in front of him with his hands on 'michael's shoulders,'What just happened?" Max asked. Lights flashed, then Michael saw a police car pull up in front of the bank. All these visions were hazy and slow. Then all of a sudden, the pain stopped.
He was laying on the ground, Max kneeling beside him looking terrified.
"Michael are you okay?!" Max asked. Michael thought about it.
"Y-yes?" it was more of a question then a statement. Max put his hands on Michael's shoulders and shook him a bit.
"What just happened?" he asked. Michael looked at him funny, 'didn't this just happen?' he thought.
He saw flashing lights and a cop car pulled up in front of the bank.
'Holy crap!' thought Michael. The cop came inside the bank, gun drawn.
"Whats going on?" He asked, seeing that Michael was obviously the guard, hence the uniform, he aimed his gun at Max, thinking it was him that broke in.
"Someone broke in." Michael explained, the sooner they got out of there the better.
"Where did he go?" the cop asked, still looking at Max.
"I don't know, he knocked me out." Michael lied.
"Whos he?" still looking at Max.
"Oh...I'm his friend, I was coming to check on him and see how the job was going. I found him unconcious." The cop nodded, he believed them.
"Did you see the face of the guy?" he asked Michael.
"No." the cop nodded again, "Why don't you get home, I'll take over, I got to investigate anyways." He said.
Max and Michael got off the floor.
"Okay...well...bye."
TBC...