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.

Chapter Fifty – One – Plans Revealed

Alex sat staring at the row of communicators on the table. Sometimes, he amazed even himself. Instead of the week Maria had given him, he made the communicators in a day. Uploading the song was simple too. The hardest task was getting them to 'talk to each other,' as Maria had put it, but he even managed to do that.

"Damn, I'm good," he said to the empty room. Learning from his last work session in the lab, Alex quickly gathered up the communicators and stuffed them into a bag. Not a moment too soon, he thought when there was a knock on the door.

"Enter!" he shouted. Alex turned to see who it was, and was not very surprised to see Na'grat walk in.

"I want to know everything," said Na'grat. "You used mind control on me, but you did it to protect me. Lord Kivar has always told us that he was the one that outlawed mind control, but I know that it isn't true. HE is the one who is using it to control all of us and make us forget all the wonderful things King Zan was working towards. Why am I remembering all of this now? What's happening to me?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," bluffed Alex.

"Don't do that," said Na'grat. "Don't lie to me. We've had enough of that from Kivar."

"Okay, did anything strange happen yesterday in the market place?" asked Alex.

"You mean other than your trying to mind control me?" asked Na'grat. "No, we saw all that stuff in the market place, and you mind warped me, and that was it. Oh, wait," Na'grat said, suddenly. "Some crazy man was giving away all the jewelry on his cart. I took a necklace for my little sister. See, here it is," he reached under his collar and used one finger to lift up necklace around his neck."

"Take it off for a second," said Alex. Na'grat complied, and handed the necklace to Alex. As soon as he did, his face went blank for a minute, and Alex could tell the mind warp was taking effect again.

"Here, put this back on," he said, handing the necklace back to Na'grat. The Antarian boy settled the chain around his neck, and his expression cleared, almost at once.

"It's amazing," he whispered. "The necklace has the power to stop the mind control. How can this be?"

"Don't ask, don't tell, that's my motto," said Alex. "Well, mine and the United States Navy."

"Something is going on, and I want to be a part of it," said Na'grat.

"Look, Na'grat, can you just trust me on this. Sit tight. As soon as I know something I'll tell you, I promise."

"Do you swear on the throne of King Zan?" demanded Na'grat.

Alex got a visual image of him kneeling down before the toilet in Max's house and swearing. He tried to stifle the smile before looking Na'grat straight in the eyes.

"Yes, I swear," he said.

"Fine, then I will leave you, for now, but I won't forget your promise."

"I never thought you would," Alex said to Na'grat's retreating back.

After Na'grat left, Alex pulled out the weapon he was working on for the Aberjani. He picked up a small tool, and began to make a minor adjustment, while thousands of thoughts crowded his head. When the adjustment was finished, Alex picked up the weapon and looked through the site, while his finger rested on the trigger mechanism. He pictured Kivar standing in front of him, and pulled back on the trigger and smiled when the weapon gave a satisfying click.

Alex reached over to put the weapon down when he was stuck with a sudden burst of inspiration. He looked through the site again, and noticed exactly where his hands touched the metal, and at his finger, resting on the trigger.

I've got it, he thought. It's perfect, and so simple. I don't know why I didn't think of it until now?

Excited, he put the weapon back on the shelf, and ran out of the lab.

That night, in the tunnel room, the group met anxiously, and everyone had a story to share about the student that had come out of the mind warp.

"The thing I'm wondering about," said Alex, "Is when I took Na'grat's chain away, he was acting like he was mind warped again. Does that mean Kivar has people doing this full time, or something?"

"He may," said Max. "And we found out today that it's possible to mind warp from a distance. Kobodi and Kivar did it today. They were in a small observation room, watching us, and throwing out mind warps like there was no tomorrow."

"We should probably check with Che'koth about that," said Zan.

"Yeah, and I need to get a supply of trideka from him as well," said Alex. "I had this positively brilliant idea earlier, but I need the trideka to make it work."

"Gee Alex, I wish you wouldn't be so hard on yourself," said Maria. "You shouldn't be so critical of your ideas."

"Play nice, Maria, or I won't give you the present I have for you," said Alex, dangling the bag of communicators front of her.

"Presents for me?" asked Maria, clapping her hands together like a small child. "Oh goody. What did you get me?"

"Michael, your wife is very, very weird," said Alex, tossing the bag to Maria.

"Alex," said Maria after she opened the bag. "I can't believe you finished this already. You are such an over achiever."

"Do we get to hear your fantastic plan now?" asked Kyle.

"Hey, what about my fantastic plan?" asked Alex, pretending to be offended.

"Alex, we know your plan really is going to be fantastic," said Kyle, "So we can wait on it for a few minutes. Maria's plan, on the other hand, is probably going to need a lot of work, so we should get started on it right away." He ducked as various items from around the room came flying in his direction, thrown by the female members of the group.

"Hey, I was only kidding," he said. "Seriously, I do want to hear what you have planned, Maria."

"Shut up, Son of Kit-Shicker," said Maria. "Or I'll have my husband hurt you."

"Don't bring me into this," said Michael.

"You I'll punish another way," said Maria, giving Michael a pointed look.

"Oh," said Michael, when he realized what she meant. "Watch it Kyle, or I'll have to kill you."

"Okay, what I'm thinking is this," said Maria. "We have these communicators, loaded with our song. We each have one to carry, and I want each one of us to place another in a strategic spot, around town, in the Training Academy, in the palace, you get the idea. Oh, yeah, and I'm going to return Jara Kobodi's to her, personally. When the time comes that we decide to move forward, I'll program the communicators to go into loudspeaker mode and start broadcasting the song all over the city. People are already starting to make a connection to the song, and the royal family. I think once they hear it playing, it will send them into a frenzy," she finished.

"It's a good plan," said Kyle. "Simple, effective, and very little danger at all. It's my kind of plan."

"Oh yea! We have the Kyle Valenti seal of approval," Maria said, dryly. "My life is now complete.

"Now that I've fulfilled Maria, let's move on to Alex," said Kyle, before he realized how totally wrong his statement sounded.

The group exploded with laughter, and Kyle's face flushed a dull red when he realized what he said.

"Shut up," he said, "You know what I mean."

"Valenti, you are such a geek," said Zan, slapping him on the back. "Alex, what's your plan?"

"Well, I was thinking, passing out free jewelry is great way to get the modified trideka on the students, and maybe some of the adults, but I'm thinking that the Aberjani aren't big fashion mavens and don't wear jewelry."

"You're right," said Zan. "Once you're a full fledged member of the Aberjani, you have to adhere to a strict dress code. Jewelry is NOTa part of the dress code."

"That's what I figured," said Alex. "So anyhow, I was working on that stupid weapon Kivar wants, and I started thinking, why not load the grips, and the trigger mechanism with the modified trideka?"

"Alex, that is brilliant," said Max, looking at his friend in awe. "Maria, don't get me wrong, your plan is fantastic, and will really spur the people on to action, but Alex, oh my God. You've found a way to bring down a large number of the Aberjani.

"Alex Whitman, have I ever told you how much I love you," said Maria, squeezing his cheeks. "Max is right, my plan is great; no doubt about it, but yours is sneaky and subversive and totally awesome. Mine is a more in your face plan."

"That is because you are an in your face kind of girl," said Che'koth from the tunnel entrance.

"You know it, babe," said Maria, with a cheerful grin. "So what brings you to our humble, well, room. News, food, an overwhelming desire to just hang with us?"

"All of the above," said Che'koth. He removed a bundle from his back and set it on the floor, and all kinds of food spilled out.

"Ewww, what's this?" asked Maria, holding up a misshapen plastic container. She opened it up and screamed in delight.

"Mom sent spaghetti sauce!" she shouted. "Please, please, please tell me you have some pasta in there too, or at least a loaf of bread to dunk."

"Would this be what you're looking for?" asked Michael, holding up another large plastic container.

"Forget the news, lets eat!" said Maria. She rummaged through Che'koth's bundle and found that that their parents hadn't sent any plates, or cutlery.

"Oh hell, now what?" she said.

"Maybe this will help," Che'koth said with a grin. He went back into the tunnel and came back with another small bundle. "I stopped at the café got some utensils and things. I was also instructed to guard this with my life." He rummaged through the large bundle and pulled out a long loaf of Italian bread, and another container.

Maria squealed and grabbed the container and opened it. She grabbed the loaf of bread and a knife and sliced the bread. "Isabel, heat the sauce. Michael, warm the pasta. Liz, start giving everyone plates. Alex, your in charge of silverware." She poured the contents of the container onto the bread, and spread it with the knife. She put the bread on the table, and passed her hand over it, and it turned a toasted crispy brown."

"Are we positively sure that Maria and Isabel aren't related somehow?" Kyle asked Michael. "I'm seeing a disturbing resemblance to the Christmas Nazi in her."

"I heard that, Kyle," said Maria. "Now, shut up, sit down and eat, and there will be no talk of anything negative during this wonderful Italian meal!"

"Majesty," said Che'koth, taking a seat next to Max. "I think it is very lucky that Maria is on your side. If she keeps acting like this, I fear that your General may soon be out of a job."