11:12pm November 14th 2000 12 minutes after curfew.
Sam locks eyes with Michael who heard the muffled groans of Rath and Lonnie in the corner. She walks over to the pair while the others follow slowly behind her. Zan steps in front of the two and smiles dryly.
"I'll handle them."
Max puts his hand on Zan's shoulder, "Look I think we should talk with them before anything permanent is done."
Zan nods and continues to stare at Rath who stirs first. As he looks up his eyes gaze past Zan and Max and fix themselves on Sam. She can feel the heat rising in her face she looks away as Michael notices where Rath's gaze has fallen. Lonnie waking up seconds after Rath is by no means at a loss for words.
"Well isn't this quaint."
She fidgets with the rope and looks up in desperation at Isabel and then Michael.
Sam clears her throat and kneels down close to Lonnie.
"Your powers have been cut off from both of you."
"Oh yeah, why?"
Zan breaking the silence decides to speak up.
"Trying to kill ya brotha's where I'd start, betrayl that sorta thang."
Lonnie looks from Zan to Max and then to Isabel.
"Yeah well let's say I was born wit this trait, so to speak."
Maria, whose stomach has been aching for food steps back and sits in her folding chair.
"Well I'd love to continue this who killed who in the last life time, in a galaxy far, far away; but I really need to get something to eat, Max?"
Zan who smiles lightly nods and heads for the door.
"I'll hit China town get some grub."
Max looks to Zan then back to Michael.
"Go with him just in case please Michael."
Nodding Michael leaves giving a glance at Sam as he follows Zan out the heavy metal doors leading to the alleyway.
Isabel turns to embrace Alex as they make their way away from the group and sit in a corner to talk.
"Issy, are you okay?"
Isabel shrugs and buries her head into Alex's shoulder.
"I just wish they didn't have to look exactly like us."
Kyle trying to alleviate the tension between Tess and Ava starts cracking jokes.
"So, you girls must be fighting over who gets me on the weekends huh?"
Tess lightly punches Kyle's arm as Ava shuffles her feet a little and looks at Tess.
Liz who has a firm grip on Max's arm tries to pry him away and let Sam talk to Rath and Lonnie alone. Maria of course has Lucas tied up reliving her luck earlier in the night at the club. While John and Sandy talk quietly nearby keeping a watchful eye on Sam.
Sam feeling room for a quiet discussion moves in closer to talk to Lonnie.
"Look we can do this the hard way or the easy way."
Lonnie looks up and laughs she shakes her head and fidgets with her rope.
"You know, there ain't no reason why Kivar wants your cornball ass in the first place."
Sam raises her hand she's seconds away from knocking Lonnie out again when Rath speaks up.
"I can think of a few reasons."
Shocked Sam lowers her hand and looks Rath's way. His eyes soften as she looks at him, he smiles and nods.
"Aww, ain't that so freakin cute great you take him away again too."
Sam shakes her head as the big metal doors slam and Michael trailed by Zan walk back in with backs of Chinese food.
"It's going to be real freakin tragic telling all your crew about how it went down all those years ago. Or, you can let me and Rath go here, give us our mojo back and it'll stay our little secret."
Sam shook her head it was her turn to laugh.
"You think you can threaten me? You don't remember a damn thing."
Lonnie nods her head.
"Maybe that's true, let's say it is, but what I've learned from Rath here and that shape shifter a few years back might make them think twice about you."
Sam feeling Michael approach backs away and smiles.
"Try me."
She turns as Michael puts his hand on her shoulder.
"Come on I got you some General Tso."
Sam nodds.
Lonnie sensing Sam's bluff speaks up.
"I bet ya'll would love to know about your past wouldn't ya?"
Michael turns around interested as Max, Isabel and Tess meet their gaze with Lonnie.
"Sure, I bet you would. All cooped up in Roswell Home of the Freaks New Mexico."
Max lets go of Liz's hand and walks stoically up to Lonnie the Pod squad follows.
"Whose truth Lonnie?"
Lonnie shakes her head and stifles a laugh.
"She's got you so scared of being who you really are that you can't see who she really is."
Lonnie motions toward Sam who stands strong Lucas, John and Sandy are at her side. Michael who's standing at Max's side crosses his arms folding them at his chest.
"Divide and conquer, you honestly are trying to turn us against each other now?"
Michael looks over at Sam and then back to Lonnie.
"I'm getting my memories back slowly, Max too, and Tess, even Isabel. We're starting to remember on our own like we were meant to."
Lonnie nods teasingly at Michael.
"Sure, I bet you remember alright, the warm and fuzzies huh?"
Zan, angry at the commotion his sisters starting stands up from his corner and Shrimp Lo Mein.
"Listen, she's just pissed that Kivar don't want her now, she's a Dupe and she couldn't handle that when I tried to tell them and now they want anyone in their way dead."
Lonnie laughs.
"You don't know a damn thing Zan. What do you care about huh? Your dream girl, that mystery in your dreams that keeps you pushin Ava away and looking at the stars. Please."
Liz's face flushes red as she steals glances Zan's way he's turned slightly white and shakes his head.
"Let's stop this nonsense and vote then."
Sam looks to Zan and then to Michael.
"Vote for what Zan?"
"Either we kill them, or let them go without their powers."
Rath whose eyes are slightly glazed as he stares at Sam mumbles to himself.
"I'd rather be dead."
Sam catches this and turns to look at him.
"Maybe there's more to this story then right and wrong."
Michael looks over to Sam who begins circling her way towards Lonnie.
"I think before we decide we should hear them both out and then make a decision."
Maria whose chin has been resting on her hand talks through clenched teeth.
"You mean like a trial."
Sam smiles, "Yes exactly."
"Great I'm going to spend the rest of my time in the Big Apple at some Hybrid Judge Judy."
Kyle chokes a laugh.
"Great the judge is from Mars, the Jury from Venus how will they decide?"
Maria smiles at Kyle who's cracking himself up in the corner.
Michael looks at Max who's thinking over everything that's going on pensively.
"I say we let Max, Zan and Sam decide. They're the leaders I trust them."
Sam smiles at Michael and nods slightly.
With that Sam, Max and Zan taking their Chinese food with them go to deliberate in a corner with Rath and Lonnie answering their questions.
Thirty minutes later it's Sam's turn to ask questions. She directs them to Rath.
"Why did you try to kill Zan?"
Rath looks up into Sam's eyes and answers without flinching.
"Lonnie always told me that what we needed wasn't on Earth, it was always somewhere else. I thought if I could get home ya know where eva the hell that was then I'd be somewhere ya know. Somewhere that I belonged."
Sam nod slowly.
"Look I didn't think it through ya know, she had me so wrapped up around her finger I only saw the summit as a way outa this dump. But I dunknow I'm startin to think there may be things here on Earth that's worth me stayin and I dunknow being a betta man ya get me?"
Sam nodded again and cleared her throat. She turned to Zan and Max who were done with their questions.
I think that's all I need to hear.
They nod and slowly get up and join the others. Liz and Maria stand up awaiting their decision.
"So?"
Sam smiles at Maria and shrugs. A low noise is heard outside of the doors and they open slowly. All the Hybrids raise their hands ready to blast whoever it is. In walks Brody Max steps forward motioning for everyone to put down their hands.
"It's okay it's just Brody my boss from home."
"Hello Max, I'm not Brody though I'm Larek."
Sam's eyes go directly to Brody she realizes Macaria's brother her brother is in that body right now.
"Larek?"
Sam walks towards Max.
"It's okay I know who he is, part of the council probably from the summit."
Brody nods.
"Yes Macaria it's good to see you remember your brother. But right now there are more important things I've come for them."
Larek points to Lonnie and Rath who are still in the corner tied up.
Max now confused looks from Zan to Michael and back to Larek.
"What for?'
"Well it's simple they're in the way and we must take them back with us, they're more harm to you now, and therefore must be taken care of."
Max stands in front of Larek stopping him from proceeding.
"We've made a decision the three of us, and you can take Lonnie but Rath stays here."
Larek stops and shakes his head.
"You realize he put Zan's life here at risk, we can't have that happen again."
Zan nods along with Max.
"We think the real traitor is Lonnie without her here everything will be copasetic."
Larek nods and walks past the others towards a confused Lonnie.
"Very well."
He pulls out some strange device and puts his hand on Lonnie's head with a few clicks they're gone and Rath is left alone dumbfounded.
"She's gone?"
Sam nods and walks towards Rath.
"Yeah she's gone and if you want you can prove to us that you can be trusted you might get your powers back."
Rath nods slowly and looks back down to the ground.
Maria who has nearly fallen to the ground she's leaning so far off her chair has to speak up.
"Look it's 2:30 in the freakin morning we need sleep and this is just too much excitement for one day."
Everyone lets out a jolted laugh and agrees as they find a spot in the factory to settle down for the night. Isabel and Max try manipulating different objects to sleep on while Sandy and Lucas go to fix the bathrooms at the far back wall. In twenty minutes the place is decent enough and Sandy along with Lucas come out with smiles.
"Well we have white clean bathrooms."
Lucas nods, "Yep with two toilets and sinks that actually flush."
Maria nods with heavy eyes as she runs with Tess at her heels to use the bathroom.
It only takes another ten minutes but soon everyone is laying down trying to sleep. Zan is the only one fully awake staring at a half asleep Liz who's curled up next to an exhausted Max.
Soon everyone even Rath who has been laid down has fallen asleep.
TBC..........
