Continued from the last chapter, We are now at the Crashdown where the POD Squad Maria and Liz are having a meeting in the break room.
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Max was waiting patiently, he looked up as five pair of eyes stared back at him, he stopped and got lost in Liz's eyes. Maria's voice brought him back into focus.
"Max can we start?"
Max looked away and at Maria, he looked around again, "Sure but where's Alex?"
Maria and Liz shrugged "He had to bring Sam home we'll fill him in later."
Max nodded at Liz, "Okay well as you all know Naseado was killed last night."
Everyone nodded Tess winced and looked down.
"He told us that the Skins were among us."
Liz looked to Max.
"The Skins?"
Tess looked at Liz.
"Yeah I don't know either, I'm gonna go through some of Naseado's things and see if I can find something, anything that'll give us a clue as to what we're up against."
Liz nodded, Tess was acting different more calm, more human.
Isabel awoke from her thought.
"Maybe we should all look through it, ya know it may help."
Tess shook her head.
"I just need to do it alone for now, thank you though. I'm sorry I just need a few days."
Max looked to Isabel.
"It's okay you can have a few days."
Max looked back to Liz.
"I'm afraid we have to ask you to cover this up with the Congress Woman, it seemed she had a relationship with Pierce and she'll know something's up if he disappears all of a sudden."
"Yeah I'll tell her something, sure no problem Max."
Max nodded and smiled.
"Well we just have to be on guard a little more."
Michael looked up.
"A little more, Max someone killed Naseado we have to stage a full fledged
defense!"
Max looked down.
"Naseado was a risk taker, he fought almost out in the open, he killed people taunted the FBI, who knows what else he did. We have to just stay as normal and concealed as possible for now. I know how you feel Michael but the urge to attack right now would be suicide. Our powers are maturing, and we're not ready."
Max flinched his hand, he had begun to form a force field this summer it started slowly but he could feel his powers growing.
Michael nodded to Max, he had grown to understand Max more now, they both understood each other and Max was talking to Michael more like he used to.
Max grabbed his smock for work and looked to everyone.
"I guess that's it, I'm gonna head to work."
Everyone nodded and dispersed, Tess to a booth in the corner with Isabel and Liz to the back to get ready for work while Maria followed her.
As Max descended the UFO museum's stairs workers carrying large boxes passed him. The place was closed and there was a young spiky haired guy barking orders to the men in a British accent. Max was given a week off by Milton with pay and he took it without hesitation, now he understood why.
"You must be Max Evans?"
Max nodded his first reaction was to ask what everything was, but he picked up on a tone from this guy he had to play it cool for now.
"Uh yeah that's me."
A worker was coming down the stairs Max moved out of his way closer to the man.
"Well we're not going to be opened for a while but you can start the day by moving those boxes into that room back there. I trust that'll be easy enough?"
Max smiled and nodded obediently, first Naseado was killed by Skins and now this guy replaces Milton. Max knew he had to play up his human side until he could get to the bottom of this situation.
Max picked up a box and began to make his way into the other room.
"Aren't you going to ask me who I am Max, or how I know your name, or more importantly what happened to Milton?"
Max shrugged, "It's not my business."
"Well I'm Brody Davis, your new boss. And that my friend is a good attitude we'll get along well then."
With that Brody walked into a well-sealed room that looked like security had been upped to a pretty tight level.
Max spent the next hour transporting all the boxes from one room to another. It wasn't until his last box that the door slid open and Brody came out to check on Max.
"Good work max."
Max smiled and wiped his hands on his faded jeans, as Brody made his way to the soda machine to get some drinks. He walked over to Max and handed him a can and motioned for him to sit down on an empty crate.
"Uh, thanks."
Max sat down and Brody followed across from him, both of them opened their cans and took a sip eying each other for a brief moment.
"So what's your story then Max?"
Max perked his eyebrows and looked clueless, "Story?"
Brody smiled slightly.
"Okay, well being in this business I know that everyone has a story, Milton had a story and told me I should talk to you a bit. He said you were bitten by the bug but now that I've met you I think we share more in common than Milton had led on."
Max tilted his head slightly. Was this the guy who killed Naseado last night, it would make sense new guy in town buys out Milton the exact place that Max was working. And now he was sending cryptic messages about being alike.
"I thought the same thing when I met you."
Brody nodded.
"Do you remember anything?"
Max shook his head, he was half afraid of what Brody could do, and he wished he could have talked to Isabel and Michael right at this moment.
"Yeah, neither do I, you'd think two years of memory recovery would have done something but, no I'm here and with no memory of it all. I woke up seven years ago in West Virginia, trouble is the last I remember I was driving down the Mass Turnpike."
Max buried his hands deep in his pockets and nodded, he also had to hide a smile on his face. He knew that Brody was not an alien as soon as he heard him talking he was just some UFO nut that had an encounter.
"Yeah same with you then eh mate."
Max shifted his weight slightly and took his hands out of his pockets to put them on his knees.
"But how did you know that it was real I mean what was it for you?"
Brody rubbed his temples and looked back at Max pretty seriously.
"Funny thing it was, I had been diagnosed with Leukemia pretty terminal had been in Hospital for years that's why I was in Massachusetts. But after the well abduction it was gone I was in full remission."
Max looked Brody in the eyes, he was a man a good man and Max felt the fear that still resided in him of his illness.
"Is that what brought you to Roswell, have you gotten close to contacting them?"
Brody smiled and stood up.
"I wasn't sure if I could show you this but now that I know I can trust you, well you have to see this."
Max followed Brody as he entered a security code into the keypad that made the door swing slowly open.
"Pretty expensive equipment."
"Well Max I'm a bit rich."
Max walked into a huge room that had once been the back break room; it was now a full-scale laboratory of some kind. There was computers everywhere each with a different screen and purpose. Brody approached a computer with the map of the world on it, there were dots blinking everywhere, one in New York city, one in Florida but more importantly one in Roswell.
"This May I got this signal, it was faint but as soon as I pinned it to the Roswell New Mexico there was no way I wasn't coming.
Max touched the screen and nodded.
Back at Sam's house……
Sam looked to her friends they had been in silence for almost a half an hour, Sam just let her group soak everything that was happening in. She looked to the TV wanting to be able to be normal, to just watch TV and not worry about this Alien stuff. She rolled her eyes and sat up.
"Look guys."
Everyone looked to Sam.
"There's nothing we can do right now, unless we tell someone about us."
They all looked alarmed.
"I think we should tell Alex he can keep it a secret and at least we'll have some idea of what's going on with the Pod Squad. We can protect them a hell of a lot better if we know what's going on with them their movements and where abouts."
John stood up.
"Do you think that's wise?"
Sam looked John in the eyes.
"You know for the good of the group I am against letting anyone in unless we have to and we really have to and Alex is the only neutral party in the matter."
John shook his head at Sam in disbelief and then looked to the twins.
"What do you guys think then"?
Lucas looked at Sam his loyalty didn't waver.
"We trust Sam's visions, her powers, judgments and leadership why stop now."
Sam beamed at Lucas she looked to Sandie with approval and then back to John.
Sandie spoke up first.
"I agree, it's the only way, we came to Roswell because of Sam's visions of the end and us not being there. We have to let someone in and Alex should be the one."
John looked back to Sam, and then nodded.
"Okay then but when are you going to tell him?"
Sam shrugged, "I don't know I'm going to wait until I can't keep it hidden anymore not too soon but not too late either."
Everyone nodded and got up to go. The meeting was over and everyone was tired of dealing with this stressful part of their lives for the moment. John looked to Sam as if he wanted to talk to her privately but she averted his gaze and led them all out and closed the door behind them.
She lounged on the couch and watched her soaps like a normal teen would making comments at the screen and throwing popcorn at her brother's head when he got in front of the TV. Before she knew it Sam's parents were home and she had to be at work. All dressed in her alien waitress uniform Sam ran out of the door to catch Alex before he left his driveway.
The ride to work was basically filled with two teens singing tunes at the top of their lungs and laughing at themselves.
Work seemed to be uneventful, Max stopped by after his shift at the UFO museum and joined Isabel and Tess at their booth. They seemed to be talking about something pretty heavy; Isabel had a look of worry and then a bit of amusement. It had to be something about Max's job that and the Skins. Thankfully Maria was working the shift with me again and Michael was at the grill along with Courtney on the floor with us. Who did spend most of her shift flirting with Michael while she waited for her food instead of actually getting it to the customers.
"So Mikey G., how's my order coming along?"
Michael looks up at the blond waitress he squints as Sam approaches as well.
"Hold on and give me a sec."
Courtney winks at Michael and then goes to take orders from a new table just as Sam hands Michael an order.
"No rush on this Michael the table said 'take your time'."
Michael looks up at Sam fixated on her lips as she speaks, Sam smiles and turns to look at Courtney.
"So, seems you're into blonds."
Michael takes his stare off of Sam and shakes his head no.
"Nope, I'm non partial."
Sam shrugs and goes to fill in her drink order. Michael follows her every move with his eyes it felt like he knew Sam all his life, without looking he clips her order above him and then tears his eyes away to look at her handwriting. Her dots were little circles, Michael shook his head he wasn't sure why he was thinking about such weird things he was turning into Max. Out of the corner of his eye Michael saw Maria approach the counter.
"Michael please tell me you have my order in?"
Michael smiles and grabbed Maria's order and handed it over to her. He was hoping for at least a friendship with Maria and she seemed to be backing off. Michael knew Maria always wanted and deserved more out of a boyfriend and Michael could never give that to her he just wasn't enough.
His eyes scanned the restaurant for Sam again and he found her talking to a group of senior guys from their school. Half of them were checking her out looking her up and down Michael wanted to jump over the counter and punch them all out. His heart was racing and he could see red, the feeling struck him quickly and he caught himself in the confusion. Michael having to tear his eyes away from Sam looked to her order he noticed it was for that table and starting filling it quickly.
"So Samantha, what brings you all the way to Roswell New Mexico from Sunny Florida?"
Sam smiled and shifted her weight from one foot to the other shifting her ponytail to her other shoulder.
"Well, my parents actually got transferred here. But my Mom's family is from here they go way back, you might know my cousin she's.."
"You're Parker's cousin, I thought I noticed the family resemblance, actually you guys look a lot alike."
Scott looked down to Sam's legs.
"Except the legs, yours seem to be much longer."
Sam was feeling a bit uncomfortable when Michael rang the bell and called her name and order up. Courtney rushed over as well. Sam excused herself and went to get her order.
"Hey Mickey G., hello I put my order in way before Sam so."
Michael looked to Courtney and shrugged, "wait right here it's almost done."
Sam smiled as she approached Michael.
"I thought I told you that they didn't want this one rushed."
Michael shrugged again.
"Everything is ready and I have to keep the food fresh."
Sam smiled and grabbed the plates to deliver them to the table of boys. Just as she turned Michael handed Courtney her order as well. Maria came as well to see if her order was ready.
"Micheal!"
Michael nodded, "Don't move it's here."
Maria smiled.
"So I've already asked for extra credit in most of my classes how about you?"
Michael looked up quickly and then back down trying to fill the order.
"I signed up for a tutor."
Maria looked shocked as Michael placed her order on the counter and rang the bell. He gave a shy smile to Maria who looked half defeated.
He turned around to flip the burgers that were flaming on the grill.
Work went by pretty quickly Liz got out of work a bit early and took a ride with Maria as they dropped me off at home. I'm not sure what I can say about this day really. A lot happened and I'm not sure how it all got to be this way. What I do know is John is driving Sandie to school tomorrow while I'm hitching a ride with Lucas. I feel like I've ripped this hole in Roswell when I came here. If it wasn't for a last minute decision by me we'd be in Port St. Lucie still avoiding our destiny and trying to protect from afar. A part of me feels like I'm intruding onto some tradition while the other part is excited to even be here. Mainly I don't want to see where it's going to go, the more I'm near Michael and Maria the farther apart their relationship gets. I mean all day today she didn't talk about him, she didn't even complain while Courtney was flirting with him. It's like she's over it, on one hand good for Maria on another hand do I feel this way because of our past together. And what if he's feeling something or remembering what do I do when he says something to me. That's it I'm gonna just have to keep away from Michael Guerin that means other than classes and work no talking or establishing anything. I must be strong.
After Maria and Liz drop off Sam they go back to Maria's house, which goes right by Tess's house. As they are passing her front yard Maria sees Max walking Tess home.
"Oh my God Liz!"
Liz startled that it's something really awful looks to where Maria's gawking. She sees
Max and Tess walking and it looks like they are in a deep conversation.
"Just don't say anything Maria."
Maria bites her lip and nods as they keep driving un-noticed.
Sam closes her diary and heads to sleep with no dreams or visions.
