Disclaimer: Roswell, and its characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. I'm simply borrowing them until the Season 2 DVD's get released.

Tomorrow's Yet to Come

Chapter Forty-Seven Actions and Reactions

Another market day had arrived, and the students of the Training Academy were free to explore the city, and take a relaxing break from their grueling studies. Alex reached over and grabbed Isabel's hand and swung it in a carefree manner.

"Today, we are going to do nothing but relax," he said. "No talk of weapons, of tracking systems and no talk of intrigue. I have declared this a stress free day!"

"Oh listen to the masterful one," laughed Isabel, stopping to hug Alex tightly. "I love it when you get all strong and boss like."

"Oh Alex, I love the strong silent type," joked Michael, running up and knocking Alex's hat to the ground.

"It just makes my heart go all a flutter when you act that way," said Kyle in a mock southern accent. He waved his hand in front of his face like a fan. "I do declare, you are just so masterful, Alex."

"Jerks," said Alex with a grin, pushing them away. "Go play with someone else. Where are Max and Liz? Go bug them for a while."

"But it's so much more fun bugging you, Alex," said Michael. "We get such pleasure out of it."

"I can kill you, you know," said Alex.

"Yeah, but we can kill you to, so where's the fun in that?" said Kyle. "Besides, Max and the others went on ahead. We were sent on a mission by our king to find you."

"Kyle, when have you ever willingly done anything Max asked you to do?" demanded Isabel with a smile.

"Well, since it involved harassing you, I was all for it," said Kyle.

"You will pay for this," said Isabel. Not here, not now, but someday, you'll pay."

"Big words from Madam Diplomat," laughed Michael. "Come on, let's hurry up. I want to spend some time with Maria, away from all the problems of everyday life."

"And so we end up right back where we started," said Alex. "No weapons, no wars, no kings, NO SHIT! he concluded as the group entered the marketplace.

They stopped and stared in shock and amazement. It was a cool, crisp, sunny day, and the sunlight was glistening over the millions of silver handprints that decorated every available surface. People filed out of stores and into the open area, yelling and pointing.

A hand reached out from the crowd and grabbed Alex. "See, I told you!" yelled Na'grat, his voice excited. "It's a sign! King Zan is here, I just know it!"

"Shut up, Na'grat," hissed Alex. "Your drawing attention to yourself." He glared at Na'grat and gave his mind a shove, and Na'grat immediately began to calm down. "I think I'm going to go pick up a gift for my mother," he said. "She'd like that."

Alex watched as Na'grat wandered off through the crowd. "So much for our nice relaxing day," he said to the others. "Michael, I think I'm going to kill Maria. Doesn't she know the meaning of the words overkill?"

"No," said Michael. "But Maria didn't do this. She, uh, well, she was with me all night." His face flushed a dull red, and he glared at the others, daring them to make something of it. When nobody said anything, he asked, "Who was that guy anyhow, and what was he talking about?"

"Let's round up everybody else, and I'll tell you about it," said Alex. "Where are we supposed to meet everybody?"

"At that little stand that sells jewelry, not to far from the restaurant where Che'koth took us that time," said Kyle. "Come on, let's get out of here before we get into any more trouble."

They quickly left the market place and made their way to where Max, Zan, Maria, Ava and Liz waited. The expression on their faces showed that they were as shocked as the others by what they had seen. By unspoken agreement, they didn't say anything. The guys stood by chatting about inconsequential things while the girls examined the jewelry on the cart.

"It's very lovely," Isabel said, holding up a necklace.

"It is indeed very beautiful," said the owner of the cart. "But only half as lovely as you. It is made from trideka, and the stones are brentium."

"I'm sorry," said Liz, struggling to keep her voice calm. "What did you say it was made from?"

"Trideka," said the man. "It is one of the purest forms of metal on our planet."

"Aladrik, did you hear that," she called to Alex. "This beautiful necklace is made from something very similar to what Mother's wedding bracelet is made from." She stared at him, then shifted her gaze to her wedding band, then looked back to the necklace."

Alex smiled when he realized what Liz was trying to get him to understand. Platinum was very similar to trideka. He watched as Liz touched her wedding ring, and then touched the necklace. She nodded to Alex and slipped off her ring and tried the necklace on. Alex concentrated and shoved at Liz's mind, trying to get her to cluck like a chicken. Her excited smile told him that the mind warp wasn't working.

"Ma'nith," she called to Max. "Isn't it beautiful!" She took the necklace off and held it up to Max.

"It is," said Max, looking quizzically at Liz. "Would you like me to buy it for you?"

"Maybe someday," she said with a shy giggle. Carefully, she placed the necklace back in its case and turned to Max. She stood on tiptoe as if to kiss him and quickly whispered in his ear. "its properties are very similar to platinum. If you touch your wedding ring, you can transfer its properties to the jewelry. It will block a mind warp. Alex and I already tested it. Tell the others."

"Are all the items on this cart made with trideka?" she asked the man.

"Of course. Me'noyith only sells the highest quality pieces," the man said proudly.

"They are lovely," said Liz, watching as Alex and Max spread the word to the others. "May I look at some of the other pieces you have?"

"Of course, beautiful lady," said Me'noyith. "Anything you desire will be yours on such a lovely day.

One by one, Liz picked up the pieces of jewelry and changed their molecular structure to match that of the platinum band she wore. Isabel, Maria and Ava joined her, and in a matter of minutes, they had changed every piece Me'noyith had on his cart.

Ava walked up to the cart owner and smiled. "Thank you so much for letting us examine all these beautiful pieces," she said. "Now, I want you to take your cart, and go to the center market place, and give everything away." She closed her eyes and shoved with her mind. "Do you understand what I'm asking you?"

"Of course, lovely lady," said Me'noyith. "You want me to share my jewelry with the people of our fair city."

"Thank you, Me'noyith," said Ava. "You will be rewarded. I promise you this."

"I thought we had agreed that it was not wise for all of you to be seen here," Che'koth said when they trooped into the small restaurant.

"Yes, we did agree," said Max. "But some things have occurred that make meeting like this a necessity. We need to talk to you, and it couldn't wait. And, we need you to pay a man named Me'noyith for the contents of his cart," he added as an after thought."

"Why don't you start at the beginning," said Che'koth. "And finish with why I owe this Me'noyith money."

The group looked at each other, waiting to see who would go first; finally Liz took a deep breath. "I'll start," she said. "We were all ordered to help clean the dining hall, and remove all the 'propaganda.' Well, I guess I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing, and I started humming while I was removing the posters."

"This does not seem like a great tragedy," said Che'koth.

"You wouldn't think so," said Liz, but two girls heard me, and connected the tune, with the words on the posters, and confronted me about it later. I totally got in their faces about it and said that they were imaging things, and that if humming were a sign of treason, half of Antar would probably be in jail by now."

"Do not worry, Liz," Che'koth said with a faint grin. "There are those who will always try to better their position by accusing others, but there is something scheduled to happen at the Training Academy tonight that will throw all suspicion off of you. Who is next?"

"Okay, I was in the lab, working on the transporters, which I finished by the way," began Alex. "Anyhow, I had them laid out on the work area in front of me when this guy Na'grat comes waltzing in, supposedly wanting my help with something. He spied the transporters, but I mind warped him into not seeing them, and I hid them pretty quick. So, he pulled out some stuff he wanted me to look at, and out fell one of Maria's little song snippets. I decided to go on the offensive, and he really wigged out, begging me not to report him."

"So far, I'm not hearing anything that is of a great concern," said Che'koth. "What happened next?"

"He wanted to know what it was, and we discussed the possibility of someone trying to stir up support for the Royal Family. I pointed out that they were all dead, except for Vilondra, and that's when it got freaky. He told me that some scientist made copies of Zan and the others and hid them away for safekeeping. People know about them," Alex said, pointing at Max and Isabel.

"Alex, you need to relax," said Che'koth. "You're starting to act like our friend Maria here," he smiled fondly at Maria, taking the sting from the comment. "There have always been rumors to that effect, and now, we can use them to our benefit."

"Well, Na'grat was totally freaked when we got to the marketplace and saw all those handprints. I had to mind warp him again to get him to shut up, or he probably would have ended up dead," said Alex. "Who put those up there, anyhow?"

"That would be the doing of some of the freedom fighters," explained Che'koth. "They put up some, but I think, many of the citizens of the city added their own to show support of the Royal Family. It seems, also, that someone," he looked directly at Isabel, "Managed to get into the throne room in the palace and did a little redecorating. Kivar was most unhappy when he found it."

"Oh, that," said Isabel, blushing faintly. "I meant to tell you all about that, I just kind of forgot, that's all."

"Isabel, what did you do?" Ava asked, smothering a laugh with her hand.

"Well, I may have burned a phrase or two from the song into the floor, and on the walls, and the ceiling," said Isabel.

"And etched colored orbs and handprints into the glass so that when the sun shines in the windows, they are reflected all over the room," added Che'koth.

"Well, the room was looking really boring," Isabel said. "I just wanted to liven it up."

"And with the power of conviction, there is no sacrifice. It's a do or die situation, we will be invincible, really did liven it up," said Che'koth. "They're saying you could hear Kivar's screams throughout the castle. Now, may we move on to the part where I am paying a jewelry salesman all of my money, please?"

"Well, we were looking at some jewelry on a cart," began Isabel. "The owner told me they were made of trideka. When Liz heard that, she got all excited."

"Because trideka is very similar to platinum," interjected Liz. "I thought maybe we could modify its molecular structure and turn it to platinum. I tried it, and then Alex tried to mind warp me. By the way," she added, turning to Alex, "What's with the clucking like a chicken? Anyhow, it didn't work, the mind warp I mean."

"So then Liz told me, and I told the others, and the girls started trying on all of the jewelry on the cart, modifying it as they went," said Max.

"Then I kind of suggested to Me'noyith that he should go into the market place and give away his jewelry," said Ava. "And that he'd be amply rewarded, so it's my fault you have to pay him. I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" said Che'koth, roaring with laughter. "The nine of you are the most inventive, creative people. You are not afraid to take a situation and use it to your advantage. Your plan is superb, and you have dealt well with every situation you have encountered. Go and enjoy the rest of your day. I will meet with you tonight, after I pay Me'noyith."