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 Sixty – Four – The Call to Arms

They stood in the darkened tunnel, unsure of how to proceed. They were about to take the biggest step of their young lives, and there was a chance that not all of them would survive. They moved, without conscious thought into the foursquare position that activated the Granolith. Max and Zan at one corner, with Isabel standing several steps away from them. Michael stood diagonally across from Max and Zan, and Ava diagonally across from Isabel. Liz, Alex, Maria and Kyle formed the inner square facing outward to look into the eyes of those they loved best.

Liz reached out and took one of Max's hands, and one of Zan's as well. The others each reached out and did the same. Nobody spoke, and the moment was more powerful because of the silence. Finally, reluctantly, Max dropped Liz's hand and turned to the others.

"You all know what to do?" he asked, and they all responded with nods. "It's not too late to back out you know."

"Maxwell, it is too late," said Michael. "We're in this for the long haul."

"Will I sound like a sap if I say I love each and every one of you?" Max asked.

"Yeah, you will," said Kyle. "And if you even think about hugging me, I may have to kill you."

"I guess I'll take that risk," Max. He moved out of the square formation and pulled Kyle into a hug. "Be safe Valenti."

"You too, Evans," said Kyle, his eyes suspiciously moist.

Max moved to hug Alex, Zan, and then Michael, and by this time, none of the men had dry eyes. Maria looked at Liz, and rolled her eyes in mock exasperation, but she, as well as the others was touched by the show of emotion.

"Okay, break it up," said Maria. "Either that, or start hugging us before we all begin to wonder about your choice of partners."

Her wisecrack served to reduce the high levels of emotion that filled the tunnel. They all exchanged final hugs, but there was less of a feeling of desperation about them.

"Are you ready, Maria?" Max asked. "You're key to all of this. Timing is everything. We really want to the effect of the sun rising on the banner just as everything starts."

"I'm ready, but did anybody bother to check the weather forecast," she joked.

"As if the sun would not dare to shine when King Zan fights to take back his throne," said Ava, her eyes full of laughter.

"Yeah, and by the way Your Majesty," said Kyle, grimacing over the words. "When this is all said and done, I'm looking at an earldom or something, right?"

"More like court jester, Valenti," said Alex. I'm getting the earldom."

"Not wanting to rain on the title parade or anything," said Isabel. "But maybe we ought to go win this thing, first."

"Are you implying that there is a possibility we may not win this, Isabel?" Liz asked in her most condescending voice.

"No, I'm implying that we have about 30 minutes to get into position," laughed Isabel.

"Oh, well in that case," said Liz. "We'd better move."

They made one final check to ensure that everyone had everything and that they knew their positions. The all hugged each other one final time, none of them acknowledging that it could be the last time, and they moved out. Michael and Maria moved up into the school, while Max, and Liz, Isabel and Alex, and Kyle and Ava and Zan moved out into the city. In their haste to move out, none of them noticed the body lying on the ground in the shadows of the tunnel.

The sun began to rise over the horizon, and the city came to life. People began to fill the market area. There was a feeling of excitement in the air that could not be contributed to the regular market day.

At the Training Academy, hungry, weary students filled the dining hall. At first, nobody really noticed the banners on the wall until Quortoth caught Michael's eye and saw him nod. Reacting quickly, Quortoth grabbed one of the banners that hung on the wall and jumped on a table.

"Fellow students, the time has come!" he shouted. "We have been oppressed by Kivar long enough! The Royal Family is among us, ready to take their rightful place and reclaim the throne of Antar. Look at the banners, you'll see them. We must fight, we will be INVINCIBLE."

Michael jumped up on another table, with Maria by his side, and the students began to yell and scream. Michael grabbed a banner and began to wave it, inciting the students to cheer louder.

"General Rath, we heard you had been killed!" shouted a student.

"Kivar did kill us!" shouted Michael. "But those loyal to the house of Antar managed to clone our essence and send us to another planet, across the galaxy where we could live in safety until we could return to free you. That time is NOW!"

Shouts filled room, and the instructors came running to try and quash the student rebellion. Maria grabbed the communicator out of her pocket, and the sounds of Pat Benatar filled the school, and the city beyond.

"Take to the streets!" yelled Michael. "We're storming the palace to rid our planet of Kivar."

The students began to push out of the dining hall, shoving the instructors out of their way. Jara Kobodi slipped into the room unnoticed through a back entrance and made her way to the table where Michael and Maria stood.

"Traitorous whore!" she yelled. She raised her hand to aim an energy bolt at Maria, but another student shouted out a warning, and Maria and Michael spun around, and Maria fired her own energy bolt, striking Jara Kobodi directly in her heart.

"That felt far too good," said Maria. "Come one, we need to get to the palace."

Michael jumped down off the table and reached up and swung Maria to the ground. He grabbed her hand and pulled her out into the hallway and down to the hidden room.

"Come one, we'll go out through the tunnel," he shouted over the noise of the rioting students.

"You were fantastic," Maria panted, struggling to keep up with the pace Michael had set.

"You weren't to shabby yourself," he said. "They went wild when they heard that music."

The couple ran through the tunnel, and came out onto a street filled with chanting people. Someone spied Michael and began to cheer.

"Look, it's General Rath! It's true, it's true!"

"To the palace, to the palace!" Michael and Maria shouted as one. They joined the stampeding crowds, never noticing the figure that slipped out of the tunnel behind them.