[u]Part 32[/u]
Max was about to get down on his hands and knees to crawl through into the granolith chamber after Liz when Michael grabbed his arm. They were the only two left in the pod chamber proper. When Max turned back to look at his best friend, he could see from Michael's expression that he had intended it that way. He looked, for all the world, like Max's father when he was about to get a major lecture.
"Maxwell, are you sure about this?" Michael demanded in an undertone. "This whole thing.it feels wrong somehow."
Max frowned. He had to admit that he wasn't as calm internally as his present demeanor indicated. But he had promised that he wouldn't arbitrarily make decisions for the whole group. Liz had made a suggestion to which they had all agreed and, at this point, there didn't seem to be many other options.
The granolith was the key to everything. Until they figured out what was so important about it, they were working at a disadvantage.
And, yet, the concern on Michael's face made Max pause. Maybe he was going along with this a little to easily. "What are you thinking?" He asked his friend.
"It's about Tess," Michael admitted. "Liz seems to think she knows exactly who she is, that she should be able to figure the granolith out because that other Serena did." He trailed off, grimacing. "But, if that's true - and she has her memories back.Then, shouldn't she have known right away?"
"Maybe Serena didn't know about the granolith right away then either?" Max suggested. "Tess [I]is[/I] Serena Michael."
"I don't get it," Michael said. "How do you know for sure?"
"I can't explain it," Max sighed. "I [I]saw[/I] her. For an instant, I saw both of them."
"Who?" Michael asked, squinting in confusion.
"They were who they were before Michael. I [I]saw[/I] them," Max explained quietly. "Both Liz and Tess."
Michael scratched his neck, shaking his shaggy head. "You know, it would have been helpful if Future You had given Liz some more info Maxwell. What was with all the mystery? I mean if Tess was Serena, why the hell didn't he just say so?"
"Apparently he was told not to say too much. That he could only mess with the timeline so far."
"I wonder how long it took for us to figure out Tess was Serena then," Michael said.
Max shrugged. "I doubt we'll ever know that."
"Are you guys coming?" Maria called through from the other chamber.
Max met Michael's eyes. He was glad they'd had this moment to talk, glad that he wasn't the only one on edge. "Keep your eyes open," he instructed under his breath.
"That's my job Fearless Leader," Michael smirked. But Max could tell that underneath his sarcasm, he was deadly serious about doing so.
Moments later, Max was in the granolith chamber. His gaze was instantly drawn to Liz, as always. She was standing on the far side of the cone, talking quietly to Tess. The blonde had her hands up near her mouth. Her blue eyes were fastened on the blinking point at the base of the mechanism and she was quite obviously deep in thought, only half listening to Liz.
"I still feel like it's watching me," Tess finally said softly. Max remembered Tess saying that on the day that Isabel had shown them the granolith chamber for the first time. She looked at Liz. "Do you feel it?"
"No." Liz looked across at Max. "Can you?"
He shook his head. Michael was doing the same, as was Kate.
It was becoming ever more clear that Liz was right. Tess clearly had some sort of connection to the alien device that the rest of them didn't. She was the key to unlocking its secrets.
Max could see Michael shifting from one foot to the other, as though he was barely keeping himself from saying something. Tess noticed too, because she asked wryly, "Is something wrong Michael?"
"I want to know why you don't know what this thing is," he blurted before Max could stop him. "You're wearing that scarf. You have your memories. Shouldn't you [I]know?[/I]"
Tess bit her lip, sighing. "I don't know," she said. "I wish I did."
"Max, when I was wearing that scarf, did I know what the granolith did?" Liz asked.
Max frowned. "I'm not sure actually. We didn't discuss the granolith. Come to think of it, I never made the connection between the Serena that other me told you about and you saying you were Serena."
"That's understandable," Liz said. "I never actually [I]told[/I] you any of it. All you know about Future Max's visit you got from the flashes."
Max smiled slightly at the memory of exactly how he had gotten those flashes. "Oh.right."
"Oh brother," Kyle said, rolling his eyes. "Can we please move on? I may be ill."
Liz's cheeks were a little pink as she continued, "Anyway, my point is, I'm surprised it even jumped out at you just from the flashes."
"I must have recognized her name," Max said.
"But why didn't I?" Liz asked, frustrated. She looked at Tess. "How could I not have known who you were? Who any of you were?" She directed this at Max, sounding sad.
"That's the question, isn't it?" Maria said. She had moved closer to Liz, had a comforting arm around her shoulders. Max was glad. He wasn't quite sure what to say to his girlfriend to make her feel better. He couldn't explain exactly what it was he had felt when he had first seen Liz that day, when they were both kids. All he knew was that he had felt an instant connection to her. Liz had said before that he had 'remembered' her, but it hadn't been that really. He had felt a pull to her beyond anything he understood or could even try to control. He had felt something similar when he had first seen Michael, Tess [I]and[/I] Kate, but it had been different at the same time. With the others, it [I]had[/I] been recognition.
Abruptly he knew what the difference had been. He had recognized the others, but with Liz, it had felt like coming home. His soul had been reunited with its other half.
Why hadn't she felt the same thing? Why had he felt it from the beginning and she had been oblivious to who she was until Will had come to town? How exactly had they been separated and why was she more human than the rest of them?
"Why do I have a feeling that this stupid cony thing has all the answers?" Maria continued, a little angry.
"Because it probably does," Kyle replied, smirking at her.
"Valenti, you and I are going to have to step outside if you don't stop with the smartass remarks," Maria told him.
"I'm shaking in my boots Deluca." Max noticed that Kyle did shut up after that retort however.
"Well, just standing here staring at it obviously isn't doing us any good," Max said into the silence that had sprung up following Maria and Kyle's exchange. "I guess it's time for plan B." He looked at Tess. "Do you know where Nasedo has Isabel, Alex and the others?"
"I think so," Tess replied. "He has a base of operations in a canyon near the reservation."
"And you didn't tell us this before why?" Michael demanded.
"Because we've been a little preoccupied with other stuff Michael," Tess snapped back. Max struggled to hide a smile. He was glad that some of Tess's spunk was returning. She had been pretty shell-shocked since she had regained consciousness. He remembered that Serena had never had any difficulty speaking her mind.
What the.Max blinked. Had that been a memory?
He stared hard at Tess. For one instant, something in the way she tossed her head while speaking to Michael jogged something he hadn't even know could be jogged.
"Whoa!" Kyle said. "What [I]was[/I] that?"
"What was what?" Maria asked, sounding a little threatening.
Kyle took a protective step back, glared at her, obviously a little embarrassed, then said, "The cone thing. It just flashed. Didn't anyone else see that?"
"I did," Liz said. She had taken a step forward, a pensive frown on her face. "I think what Tess was saying before - about it watching us - I think she was right." She raised her eyes. "It was reacting to something. But [I]what[/I]?"
Max swallowed. "I might have an idea," he said. "I just had a memory."
"Really?" Liz asked. "What was it about?"
"It was about Tess actually," Max admitted, feeling a bit guilty. "Well, Serena."
"About me?" Tess asked, amazed. "What was it?"
Max looked at Liz briefly. She didn't seem at all upset, so he replied, "It wasn't really a memory of anything specific actually. It was just the way you spoke to Michael. It struck me as very [I]Serena[/I]."
"And the granolith must have flashed when that happened," Liz said, still thinking. She was staring at the cone, her forehead slightly creased. "That makes sense. We're connected to this thing somehow. It comes to life when we're near. It recognizes us. [I]Why?[/I]" She looked at first Kate, then Tess. "Do you guys have [I]any[/I] idea?"
Kate sighed. "I wish I did. I told Alex before, half of what I think I do know, I'm now wondering if it's all a lie anyway. All I was ever told about this thing was that we needed it and that it could save our people."
Tess had taken a step forward though, her head tilted. She was staring at the cone again, a strange look on her face. "The granolith is life," she said quietly. "The granolith is [I]life[/I]." She narrowed her eyes, so intent on whatever it was she was thinking about, she didn't even flinch when the point at the end of the cone flashed brightly again.
"Holy cow!" Kyle exclaimed. "Tess! What did you do? I thought you didn't have alien death-ray eyes! You told me you didn't have them!"
Max ignored him though. He could not take his eyes off of Tess. "Did you have a memory?" He asked, excitement coursing through his veins.
Tess frowned. "No," she said. "I didn't [I]have[/I] a memory." She bit her lip, still staring at the base of the cone. Max started when it flashed again.
"Tess! What are you doing?" Michael demanded, his voice reflecting his attempt to hide his concern. Or maybe that was fear Michael was trying to hide, Max amended. Because if it was, he wouldn't be alone. Max could feel his heart racing too - half in anticipation, half scared about what they were about to find out.
Because Tess seemed to know exactly what she was doing.
"I didn't [I]have[/I] a memory," Tess elaborated, after Liz nudged her gently, pressing her for a further explanation. "The granolith [I]gave[/I] me one."
"What?" Max demanded.
Tess looked at him, her blue eyes wide. "Max, I remember what this thing is." She glanced at Kate. "Kate was right. It is [I]life[/I]. It gave [I]us[/I] life."
"Okay, is anyone else a little sick of the roundabout revelations?" Kyle asked the group as a whole. Tess scowled at him. "Well, I mean c'mon woman. Just spit it out!"
Tess rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little surprised that I didn't remember before. Now that I [I]know[/I], it feels like I always did."
"Maybe you did?" Liz suggested. "Maybe the granolith is unlocking your memory, not [I]giving[/I] you memories?"
"Maybe," Tess said. "But one way or the other, I know why the Skins and are so desperate to get their hands on it." She shook her head. "It's so obvious, I can't believe we didn't think of it before."
"Again, not so obvious to [I]all[/I] of us," Kyle muttered. For once, Maria was nodding in agreement.
"Sorry," Tess laughed slightly. "Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, the granolith cloned us. It's why it recognizes us. It gave us life. Even more than that, in some ways, it [I]is[/I] us."
"Are you saying that our pods came out of this thing?" Michael asked. He stepped forward, ran his hand down the sloped cone shape.
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Tess told him. "This was the part of the ship that protected our pods when we were coming here. But it also [I]produced[/I] our pods. It created us." She shook her head, glanced at Liz. "I can't believe I didn't remember this. God, it's all so clear now."
"Like a giant hybrid mixmaster," Kyle suggested. "Toss in some human DNA, a few essences, and presto changeo, your own fully formed pod squad."
Max snorted slightly. He couldn't help it. When Kyle said it like that, it sounded absolutely ridiculous.
He sobered when he caught Michael's glare. "I'm so glad you're amused Maxwell. This is serious!"
"I know it is Michael," Max replied. "But if we don't keep our sense of humor about this, we might as well just give up now. I mean, c'mon. This is [I]nuts![/I]"
"Don't you believe me?" Tess asked, sounding hurt. Max grimaced, particularly when he saw the disapproving expression on Liz's face.
"Of course I believe you Tess," he said quickly. "I'm just wondering how this information helps us now."
"Well, we know why the others want it," Liz stated. "They must want to hybridize themselves so they can live on Earth more easily."
"But why does Nasedo want it?" Michael questioned. "He seems to be doing just fine. He doesn't need it."
"Maybe so the Skins can't have it?" Max theorized. He wasn't the only one to offer up a suggestion though. Six out of the seven of them gathered in the granolith chamber started to talk at once.
"Okay, wait a sec," Maria interrupted loudly, raising her hands. "We're never going to figure out what Nasedo wants, so let's just forget it for the moment. He makes no sense anyway. He was sent here to [I]protect[/I] you all and it's the furthest thing from what he's done, so screw him. What I don't get is. Tess, if it created you, how do you know how it works? I mean, how could you know? It created you. It's like the chicken and the egg, isn't it?"
Tess laughed. "Well, sort of, but not really. Don't forget, I lived before."
"But still.You were like a queen's sister," Maria reminded her. "Do queen's sister's run around cloning people in your galaxy? How did you know?"
Max took a step backward when the granolith flashed again. He heard exclamations of surprise all around. Kyle was the first one to recover. "Okay, who did it?"
Max glanced around at the others, blinked when he realized that it was Liz who was staring at the granolith, looking shocked. "It was [I]me[/I]," she whispered. "I remember."
"What Liz?" Max asked, moving towards her quickly. She seemed mildly freaked.
Liz met his gaze, as though to reassure him that she was fine, then looked at Tess. "Maria's right. I know why you remember Tess. It's because the granolith is [I]yours[/I]. Serena invented it."
Tess started to nod in agreement, but she stopped abruptly, her eyes widening as she took in something behind Max. It was barely a warning, but Max was already turning when a new voice said, "She did indeed."
Max instantly raised his hand, throwing up his shield. He felt a wave of frustration when he realized that only he, Tess, Liz and Maria, were covered by it. Michael, Kate and Kyle were too far away, still on the other side of the cone.
"Don't worry Zan," Grant Sorenson said, quirking a grin at him. "I'm not going to hurt you. I've come to help you, now that I know you're finally ready." He turned his smarmy smile on Tess. "But I can see that I'm not needed. You're about to get all the right answers from the source."
Max felt the dislike Grant always engendered rush through him. "Who are you?" He demanded. He looked at Michael, hoping to get his attention. He wanted his best friend to get Kyle and Kate to move so that they'd be protected by the shield too, but Michael had his own hand raised, as though preparing to blast Grant himself, so it was no use.
Max could feel himself weakening. He was really going to need to work on his endurance with this thing if it was ever going to have any real value.
"It doesn't matter who I am Zan," Grant told him. "All you need to know for now is that I'm on your side."
"He's lying Max," Kate told him firmly. "Alex recognized his voice. He's working with Nasedo."
"I'm [I]pretending[/I] to work with Nasedo," Grant corrected. "He and I." The archeologist shook his head ruefully, "We go way back. I decided a few months ago to use that to my advantage. I've been pulling strings on the inside."
"Who [I]are[/I] you?" Max demanded again, trying to inflect even a little authority into his tone. He was getting really tired now. He straightened abruptly when a renewed surge of energy ran through his veins. Looking down he saw that Liz had taken hold of his hand, was trying to help him.
"You can stop that," Grant said. "Although I must admit, it's kind of romantic, trying to protect each other like that. It's so Zan and Rowena."
"It's okay Max," Tess told him quietly. "I know who he is. He's telling the truth. He won't hurt you."
"Prove it," Michael snapped.
"Oh very well," Grant sighed. Max felt his heart stop when Grant raised his hand too. He was pretty sure he'd be able to hold the shield through one blast, but what about Kyle, Kate and Michael?
It took him a moment to realize that no blasting was happening. Instead, before his amazed eyes, Grant Sorenson started to shapeshift. And who he shifted into was enough to make Max drop his shield altogether.
"Oh my God! Max!" Liz breathed, her disbelief matching his own.
"Recognize me now?" Grant asked. He reached into the pocket of his jacket, pulled out a small container. It made a slight clicking noise as he turned it over and shook two Tic-Tacs into his hand, before popping them into his mouth.
"Max, that's the guy who told us to go home the night we staying out in the desert," Liz reminded him, although Max already knew it. "The night we found the orb at the radio tower."
It seemed that Grant Sorenson had not just arrived in town at all. He had been watching them for months.
Which meant that there had been two shapeshifters in Roswell all along.
To be continued.
Max was about to get down on his hands and knees to crawl through into the granolith chamber after Liz when Michael grabbed his arm. They were the only two left in the pod chamber proper. When Max turned back to look at his best friend, he could see from Michael's expression that he had intended it that way. He looked, for all the world, like Max's father when he was about to get a major lecture.
"Maxwell, are you sure about this?" Michael demanded in an undertone. "This whole thing.it feels wrong somehow."
Max frowned. He had to admit that he wasn't as calm internally as his present demeanor indicated. But he had promised that he wouldn't arbitrarily make decisions for the whole group. Liz had made a suggestion to which they had all agreed and, at this point, there didn't seem to be many other options.
The granolith was the key to everything. Until they figured out what was so important about it, they were working at a disadvantage.
And, yet, the concern on Michael's face made Max pause. Maybe he was going along with this a little to easily. "What are you thinking?" He asked his friend.
"It's about Tess," Michael admitted. "Liz seems to think she knows exactly who she is, that she should be able to figure the granolith out because that other Serena did." He trailed off, grimacing. "But, if that's true - and she has her memories back.Then, shouldn't she have known right away?"
"Maybe Serena didn't know about the granolith right away then either?" Max suggested. "Tess [I]is[/I] Serena Michael."
"I don't get it," Michael said. "How do you know for sure?"
"I can't explain it," Max sighed. "I [I]saw[/I] her. For an instant, I saw both of them."
"Who?" Michael asked, squinting in confusion.
"They were who they were before Michael. I [I]saw[/I] them," Max explained quietly. "Both Liz and Tess."
Michael scratched his neck, shaking his shaggy head. "You know, it would have been helpful if Future You had given Liz some more info Maxwell. What was with all the mystery? I mean if Tess was Serena, why the hell didn't he just say so?"
"Apparently he was told not to say too much. That he could only mess with the timeline so far."
"I wonder how long it took for us to figure out Tess was Serena then," Michael said.
Max shrugged. "I doubt we'll ever know that."
"Are you guys coming?" Maria called through from the other chamber.
Max met Michael's eyes. He was glad they'd had this moment to talk, glad that he wasn't the only one on edge. "Keep your eyes open," he instructed under his breath.
"That's my job Fearless Leader," Michael smirked. But Max could tell that underneath his sarcasm, he was deadly serious about doing so.
Moments later, Max was in the granolith chamber. His gaze was instantly drawn to Liz, as always. She was standing on the far side of the cone, talking quietly to Tess. The blonde had her hands up near her mouth. Her blue eyes were fastened on the blinking point at the base of the mechanism and she was quite obviously deep in thought, only half listening to Liz.
"I still feel like it's watching me," Tess finally said softly. Max remembered Tess saying that on the day that Isabel had shown them the granolith chamber for the first time. She looked at Liz. "Do you feel it?"
"No." Liz looked across at Max. "Can you?"
He shook his head. Michael was doing the same, as was Kate.
It was becoming ever more clear that Liz was right. Tess clearly had some sort of connection to the alien device that the rest of them didn't. She was the key to unlocking its secrets.
Max could see Michael shifting from one foot to the other, as though he was barely keeping himself from saying something. Tess noticed too, because she asked wryly, "Is something wrong Michael?"
"I want to know why you don't know what this thing is," he blurted before Max could stop him. "You're wearing that scarf. You have your memories. Shouldn't you [I]know?[/I]"
Tess bit her lip, sighing. "I don't know," she said. "I wish I did."
"Max, when I was wearing that scarf, did I know what the granolith did?" Liz asked.
Max frowned. "I'm not sure actually. We didn't discuss the granolith. Come to think of it, I never made the connection between the Serena that other me told you about and you saying you were Serena."
"That's understandable," Liz said. "I never actually [I]told[/I] you any of it. All you know about Future Max's visit you got from the flashes."
Max smiled slightly at the memory of exactly how he had gotten those flashes. "Oh.right."
"Oh brother," Kyle said, rolling his eyes. "Can we please move on? I may be ill."
Liz's cheeks were a little pink as she continued, "Anyway, my point is, I'm surprised it even jumped out at you just from the flashes."
"I must have recognized her name," Max said.
"But why didn't I?" Liz asked, frustrated. She looked at Tess. "How could I not have known who you were? Who any of you were?" She directed this at Max, sounding sad.
"That's the question, isn't it?" Maria said. She had moved closer to Liz, had a comforting arm around her shoulders. Max was glad. He wasn't quite sure what to say to his girlfriend to make her feel better. He couldn't explain exactly what it was he had felt when he had first seen Liz that day, when they were both kids. All he knew was that he had felt an instant connection to her. Liz had said before that he had 'remembered' her, but it hadn't been that really. He had felt a pull to her beyond anything he understood or could even try to control. He had felt something similar when he had first seen Michael, Tess [I]and[/I] Kate, but it had been different at the same time. With the others, it [I]had[/I] been recognition.
Abruptly he knew what the difference had been. He had recognized the others, but with Liz, it had felt like coming home. His soul had been reunited with its other half.
Why hadn't she felt the same thing? Why had he felt it from the beginning and she had been oblivious to who she was until Will had come to town? How exactly had they been separated and why was she more human than the rest of them?
"Why do I have a feeling that this stupid cony thing has all the answers?" Maria continued, a little angry.
"Because it probably does," Kyle replied, smirking at her.
"Valenti, you and I are going to have to step outside if you don't stop with the smartass remarks," Maria told him.
"I'm shaking in my boots Deluca." Max noticed that Kyle did shut up after that retort however.
"Well, just standing here staring at it obviously isn't doing us any good," Max said into the silence that had sprung up following Maria and Kyle's exchange. "I guess it's time for plan B." He looked at Tess. "Do you know where Nasedo has Isabel, Alex and the others?"
"I think so," Tess replied. "He has a base of operations in a canyon near the reservation."
"And you didn't tell us this before why?" Michael demanded.
"Because we've been a little preoccupied with other stuff Michael," Tess snapped back. Max struggled to hide a smile. He was glad that some of Tess's spunk was returning. She had been pretty shell-shocked since she had regained consciousness. He remembered that Serena had never had any difficulty speaking her mind.
What the.Max blinked. Had that been a memory?
He stared hard at Tess. For one instant, something in the way she tossed her head while speaking to Michael jogged something he hadn't even know could be jogged.
"Whoa!" Kyle said. "What [I]was[/I] that?"
"What was what?" Maria asked, sounding a little threatening.
Kyle took a protective step back, glared at her, obviously a little embarrassed, then said, "The cone thing. It just flashed. Didn't anyone else see that?"
"I did," Liz said. She had taken a step forward, a pensive frown on her face. "I think what Tess was saying before - about it watching us - I think she was right." She raised her eyes. "It was reacting to something. But [I]what[/I]?"
Max swallowed. "I might have an idea," he said. "I just had a memory."
"Really?" Liz asked. "What was it about?"
"It was about Tess actually," Max admitted, feeling a bit guilty. "Well, Serena."
"About me?" Tess asked, amazed. "What was it?"
Max looked at Liz briefly. She didn't seem at all upset, so he replied, "It wasn't really a memory of anything specific actually. It was just the way you spoke to Michael. It struck me as very [I]Serena[/I]."
"And the granolith must have flashed when that happened," Liz said, still thinking. She was staring at the cone, her forehead slightly creased. "That makes sense. We're connected to this thing somehow. It comes to life when we're near. It recognizes us. [I]Why?[/I]" She looked at first Kate, then Tess. "Do you guys have [I]any[/I] idea?"
Kate sighed. "I wish I did. I told Alex before, half of what I think I do know, I'm now wondering if it's all a lie anyway. All I was ever told about this thing was that we needed it and that it could save our people."
Tess had taken a step forward though, her head tilted. She was staring at the cone again, a strange look on her face. "The granolith is life," she said quietly. "The granolith is [I]life[/I]." She narrowed her eyes, so intent on whatever it was she was thinking about, she didn't even flinch when the point at the end of the cone flashed brightly again.
"Holy cow!" Kyle exclaimed. "Tess! What did you do? I thought you didn't have alien death-ray eyes! You told me you didn't have them!"
Max ignored him though. He could not take his eyes off of Tess. "Did you have a memory?" He asked, excitement coursing through his veins.
Tess frowned. "No," she said. "I didn't [I]have[/I] a memory." She bit her lip, still staring at the base of the cone. Max started when it flashed again.
"Tess! What are you doing?" Michael demanded, his voice reflecting his attempt to hide his concern. Or maybe that was fear Michael was trying to hide, Max amended. Because if it was, he wouldn't be alone. Max could feel his heart racing too - half in anticipation, half scared about what they were about to find out.
Because Tess seemed to know exactly what she was doing.
"I didn't [I]have[/I] a memory," Tess elaborated, after Liz nudged her gently, pressing her for a further explanation. "The granolith [I]gave[/I] me one."
"What?" Max demanded.
Tess looked at him, her blue eyes wide. "Max, I remember what this thing is." She glanced at Kate. "Kate was right. It is [I]life[/I]. It gave [I]us[/I] life."
"Okay, is anyone else a little sick of the roundabout revelations?" Kyle asked the group as a whole. Tess scowled at him. "Well, I mean c'mon woman. Just spit it out!"
Tess rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little surprised that I didn't remember before. Now that I [I]know[/I], it feels like I always did."
"Maybe you did?" Liz suggested. "Maybe the granolith is unlocking your memory, not [I]giving[/I] you memories?"
"Maybe," Tess said. "But one way or the other, I know why the Skins and are so desperate to get their hands on it." She shook her head. "It's so obvious, I can't believe we didn't think of it before."
"Again, not so obvious to [I]all[/I] of us," Kyle muttered. For once, Maria was nodding in agreement.
"Sorry," Tess laughed slightly. "Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, the granolith cloned us. It's why it recognizes us. It gave us life. Even more than that, in some ways, it [I]is[/I] us."
"Are you saying that our pods came out of this thing?" Michael asked. He stepped forward, ran his hand down the sloped cone shape.
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Tess told him. "This was the part of the ship that protected our pods when we were coming here. But it also [I]produced[/I] our pods. It created us." She shook her head, glanced at Liz. "I can't believe I didn't remember this. God, it's all so clear now."
"Like a giant hybrid mixmaster," Kyle suggested. "Toss in some human DNA, a few essences, and presto changeo, your own fully formed pod squad."
Max snorted slightly. He couldn't help it. When Kyle said it like that, it sounded absolutely ridiculous.
He sobered when he caught Michael's glare. "I'm so glad you're amused Maxwell. This is serious!"
"I know it is Michael," Max replied. "But if we don't keep our sense of humor about this, we might as well just give up now. I mean, c'mon. This is [I]nuts![/I]"
"Don't you believe me?" Tess asked, sounding hurt. Max grimaced, particularly when he saw the disapproving expression on Liz's face.
"Of course I believe you Tess," he said quickly. "I'm just wondering how this information helps us now."
"Well, we know why the others want it," Liz stated. "They must want to hybridize themselves so they can live on Earth more easily."
"But why does Nasedo want it?" Michael questioned. "He seems to be doing just fine. He doesn't need it."
"Maybe so the Skins can't have it?" Max theorized. He wasn't the only one to offer up a suggestion though. Six out of the seven of them gathered in the granolith chamber started to talk at once.
"Okay, wait a sec," Maria interrupted loudly, raising her hands. "We're never going to figure out what Nasedo wants, so let's just forget it for the moment. He makes no sense anyway. He was sent here to [I]protect[/I] you all and it's the furthest thing from what he's done, so screw him. What I don't get is. Tess, if it created you, how do you know how it works? I mean, how could you know? It created you. It's like the chicken and the egg, isn't it?"
Tess laughed. "Well, sort of, but not really. Don't forget, I lived before."
"But still.You were like a queen's sister," Maria reminded her. "Do queen's sister's run around cloning people in your galaxy? How did you know?"
Max took a step backward when the granolith flashed again. He heard exclamations of surprise all around. Kyle was the first one to recover. "Okay, who did it?"
Max glanced around at the others, blinked when he realized that it was Liz who was staring at the granolith, looking shocked. "It was [I]me[/I]," she whispered. "I remember."
"What Liz?" Max asked, moving towards her quickly. She seemed mildly freaked.
Liz met his gaze, as though to reassure him that she was fine, then looked at Tess. "Maria's right. I know why you remember Tess. It's because the granolith is [I]yours[/I]. Serena invented it."
Tess started to nod in agreement, but she stopped abruptly, her eyes widening as she took in something behind Max. It was barely a warning, but Max was already turning when a new voice said, "She did indeed."
Max instantly raised his hand, throwing up his shield. He felt a wave of frustration when he realized that only he, Tess, Liz and Maria, were covered by it. Michael, Kate and Kyle were too far away, still on the other side of the cone.
"Don't worry Zan," Grant Sorenson said, quirking a grin at him. "I'm not going to hurt you. I've come to help you, now that I know you're finally ready." He turned his smarmy smile on Tess. "But I can see that I'm not needed. You're about to get all the right answers from the source."
Max felt the dislike Grant always engendered rush through him. "Who are you?" He demanded. He looked at Michael, hoping to get his attention. He wanted his best friend to get Kyle and Kate to move so that they'd be protected by the shield too, but Michael had his own hand raised, as though preparing to blast Grant himself, so it was no use.
Max could feel himself weakening. He was really going to need to work on his endurance with this thing if it was ever going to have any real value.
"It doesn't matter who I am Zan," Grant told him. "All you need to know for now is that I'm on your side."
"He's lying Max," Kate told him firmly. "Alex recognized his voice. He's working with Nasedo."
"I'm [I]pretending[/I] to work with Nasedo," Grant corrected. "He and I." The archeologist shook his head ruefully, "We go way back. I decided a few months ago to use that to my advantage. I've been pulling strings on the inside."
"Who [I]are[/I] you?" Max demanded again, trying to inflect even a little authority into his tone. He was getting really tired now. He straightened abruptly when a renewed surge of energy ran through his veins. Looking down he saw that Liz had taken hold of his hand, was trying to help him.
"You can stop that," Grant said. "Although I must admit, it's kind of romantic, trying to protect each other like that. It's so Zan and Rowena."
"It's okay Max," Tess told him quietly. "I know who he is. He's telling the truth. He won't hurt you."
"Prove it," Michael snapped.
"Oh very well," Grant sighed. Max felt his heart stop when Grant raised his hand too. He was pretty sure he'd be able to hold the shield through one blast, but what about Kyle, Kate and Michael?
It took him a moment to realize that no blasting was happening. Instead, before his amazed eyes, Grant Sorenson started to shapeshift. And who he shifted into was enough to make Max drop his shield altogether.
"Oh my God! Max!" Liz breathed, her disbelief matching his own.
"Recognize me now?" Grant asked. He reached into the pocket of his jacket, pulled out a small container. It made a slight clicking noise as he turned it over and shook two Tic-Tacs into his hand, before popping them into his mouth.
"Max, that's the guy who told us to go home the night we staying out in the desert," Liz reminded him, although Max already knew it. "The night we found the orb at the radio tower."
It seemed that Grant Sorenson had not just arrived in town at all. He had been watching them for months.
Which meant that there had been two shapeshifters in Roswell all along.
To be continued.