[u]Part 40[/u]
Liz tilted her head, stared at the blinking light at the base of the granolith, her brow furrowed.
"Are you checking to see if you have alien death-ray eyes?" Maria asked. Her friend had just crawled through into the granolith. Liz looked over at her, laughed slightly. Not that she was in a particularly amused mood. But she knew that Maria was just trying to make her feel better. Her entire stomach was in knots after all.
She knew that Max was okay. She would absolutely feel it if he wasn't, and, yet, she was still worried. Her concern was making it very difficult to think about the problem at hand, which was, of course, the granolith.
"No," Liz replied. "I'm just trying to make it let me remember. I mean, I [I]have[/I] to know something about this thing, don't I? If Tess is a clone of a clone of who I was, then shouldn't I have the knowledge locked up somewhere inside my head too?"
Maria was staring at her. "You know what scares me Liz? I actually understood what you just said."
Liz snorted. "I don't blame you. This whole thing just gets more ridiculous by the day. I mean, really Maria. Can you believe that it was just over a year ago that neither of us even knew that aliens existed?"
"It is weird," Maria agreed. "But I wouldn't change it. Would you?"
"Of course not," Liz replied. "I just wish that it wasn't always so difficult." She glanced at her best friend guiltily. "You know how Tess said she didn't believe that Rowena and Zan abandoned their thrones for each other?"
"Yeah?" Maria prompted, her expression sympathetic.
"I'm glad she has so much faith in them, but Maria, I can't say that I do. I mean, I [I]understand[/I] why they might have done it. It's something that would be very easy to do, you know? If I had the chance to just run away with Max, to give this all up, to be with him and to just be [I]normal[/I], I think I might take it."
Maria reached out, brought her arm around Liz's shoulders. "Liz, that's so not true, and you know it. You had the chance to do that once and you didn't take it. Didn't Max ask you to run away with him that time?"
Liz shrugged. "Well, I don't know if he really meant it. He was drunk. I guess he did. But, now, I'm looking back on that, wondering if I didn't make a mistake. If Nasedo couldn't find Max and me, wouldn't that just be better?" She sighed again, not waiting for Maria to reply. "Of course, I know it wouldn't. He'd just tear this planet apart looking for us."
"Which is why you wouldn't run away," Maria assured her. "Liz, you have every right to wish for that freedom. You even had it at one point. You didn't have to come back to Roswell this summer. But you did. Because you knew that it was your responsibility to do so. Somewhere inside you, you knew that you and Max were meant to be together and that somehow you'd make it work. I have complete faith in you chica. I believe Tess. I know that Zan and Rowena were exactly like you and Max - totally in love and totally dedicated to their planets. And even if they weren't, you and Max aren't [I]them[/I] anymore."
Liz laid her head on Maria's shoulder, glaring at the granolith. "I know," she said, but, inside, she didn't. She didn't know it. She wouldn't know it for sure until she had her memories back. Until she made the damn granolith work.
After a long moment of companionable silence, Maria said, "I just came in to tell you that the sheriff is here. Michael's filling him in."
"How is Michael?" Liz asked, concerned. While Max's best friend had come around, understanding in the end why Max had wanted him to stay behind, he had started to pace like a caged tiger the instant the others left.
"He's okay," Maria replied. "He's taking his job very seriously, Liz," she added wryly. "I have a feeling that you've gained a bodyguard for life. He and Kyle are starting to lay out plans for the king and queen's security detail once all of this is over."
Liz, who had drifted away from Maria, and was starting to circle the granolith, her eyes narrowed as she examined it, started at this and looked back at her best friend. "What? Are you joking?" She asked, incredulous.
"He was talking like twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week," Maria added mischievously. "But you'll get rid of him. All you have to do is make out in front of him once or twice. That really grosses him out, you know."
Liz laughed. "I'm sure that can be arranged." She paused, frowned slightly. "Speaking of making out, did I tell you what happened when Max and I woke up in my bed after I took Serena's scarf off?"
When Maria shook her head, no, Liz quickly filled her in. By the end of it, Maria's eyes were wide. "You made [I]him[/I] glow?"
"Not only that, Maria, for a while there, it felt like we were[I]them[/I]. I don't even remember some of it. It was the weirdest thing I've ever experienced. It was wonderful, but it was also kind of creepy, like they were trying to break out from inside us or something."
"You mean Zan and Rowena."
"Right. Maria, what happens if we make the granolith work and our memories come back and we're no longer [I]us[/I]? I mean, it could happen, right? Like what happened when I wore that scarf." Liz hadn't even realized that she'd been worrying about this until she voiced it to Maria now. She had been concerned though. She never wanted to feel as trapped as she had while Serena had been in control of her body. And she wasn't even Serena. What would happen when she and Max allowed their [I]real[/I] alien sides to emerge?
"I don't know what to tell you, Liz," Maria admitted. "But I have a gut instinct that it's going to work out, that it will be more like Will and Kate and how they remember things."
Liz shuddered. "God, Will. He's going to be devastated Maria, when he finds out he was never married to Rowena."
"Well, Serena's [I]here[/I] Liz. He has Tess."
"But does Tess want him?" Liz asked. "I don't think so. There's something going on between her and Kyle, at least on his side. And I think she might still have a bit of a thing for Max. I mean, just because she found out we're.." She paused, grimaced, reflecting on how she was going to refer to her strange relationship with Tess, then continued firmly, "[I]sisters[/I] doesn't mean she can just turn off feelings she's had for years. Not to mention, I don't think Will can just transfer all the feelings he has for me to her. I really think he loves me."
"It's a tragedy, isn't it?" Maria replied ironically. "Two gorgeous alien kings in love with you. Woe is you."
"Maria!"
"I'm just kidding," Maria assured her. "I feel bad for the guy too, Liz, but you belong with Max. I thought so even before we found out who you really are. I can't be sorry that Will's not going to get what he wants."
"I'm just hoping that he doesn't do something he's going to regret because of it," Liz told her. "He can be a little irrational."
"More reason I'm glad you're with Max," Maria said. "Mr. Rational himself. Of course, that's not necessarily true when it comes to you," she admitted. "But, you're safe with Max. I really don't think that would have ever been the case with Will."
"It's not like I ever wanted Will," Liz reminded her firmly.
"I don't know Lizzie. I saw the way you looked at him the first time you laid eyes on him. There was something there."
"Fine," Liz admitted. "But nothing serious. I just think I must have recognized something in him. At least it never went too far." She decided to put Will out of her mind for the moment. There was no point in worrying about it right now. He needed to be rescued first. She had far more important things to think about - namely the safety of their friends.
Not to mention her determination to have figured out how to make the granolith work before they got back.
Lifting her hands, Liz rubbed her temples. She glared at the granolith. "I hate this thing," she muttered.
"Liz, if you can't make it work, you can't make it work," Maria admonished her. "There's no reason to get so upset. We'll figure it out."
"How, Maria? How are we going to figure it out?" Liz demanded, knowing that her frustration was evident in her voice.
"I don't know," Maria admitted. She sighed, took a step back and leaned into the silver wall behind her.
Liz, who was watching her from the other side of the chamber, frowned slightly. "Maria?"
"Yeah?"
"Did that wall behind you just [I]move?[/I]"
But Maria wasn't there to answer. Because, suddenly, the wall was gone and so was Maria.
"Maria!" Liz's scream was loud enough that it brought Michael's head poking through the entrance to the chamber. Liz barely noticed though, already around the up-side down cone and through the hole where Maria had disappeared.
She heard Michael calling after her, but ignored him. She found herself standing at the head of a flight of stairs. They led into darkness. "Maria?" She called down, her voice softer than she meant it to be. She could feel her heart thundering in her chest.
She felt Michael behind her in the darkness. "Liz, what happened?" The sheriff and Kyle brought up the rear.
"She just fell through the wall," Liz replied. She took a careful step down. Instantly the stair under her feet lit up, as though encouraging her to proceed. She gasped, reached back and grabbed Michael's hand.
He was nowhere near as tentative. Grasping her firmly, he practically flew down the steps, pulling her after him, yelling into the darkness. "Maria!" Liz heard the sheriff calling after them. With every step they took, the steps brightened, lighting their way.
They were soon at the bottom, where they found Maria woozily climbing to her feet. Michael let go of Liz and was at her side instantly, helping her up. "Are you okay?" He demanded.
Liz's best friend leaned into her boyfriend, reaching up to rub the small of her back. "I think so."
"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Michael bellowed, making Liz jump.
"Gee, Michael," Maria snapped back, her annoyance getting the better of whatever pain she might have been feeling. "I really chose to fall through a wall and down a flight of stairs on purpose."
He didn't reply, simply pulled her more tightly against him. Liz could see the whiteness of his face clearly. She turned to watch the sheriff and Kyle reach the bottom of the stairs. They were both wearing expressions of concern, which were quickly replaces by amazement as they looked around. The sheriff managed a gruff reprimand to Michael for acting without thinking, but he was obviously more interested in the room Maria had found than in getting angry.
The chamber in which they found themselves was lit from within the walls, throwing the same dull glow as the granolith did above. Liz looked around, her own eyes widening. She then looked up and found herself staring at what had to be the bottom of the granolith. It was an inverted cone, reflecting almost identically the cone that could be found above.
"Liz, look!"
Maria's voice captured Liz's attention. She followed Maria's pointed finger with her gaze and found herself staring at a sliver hand-print. It was embedded in the wall. She moved two steps towards it before she knew what she was doing. It was only Michael grabbing her by the elbow that stopped her.
"It's.I think it's [I]mine[/I]," she whispered. "It's calling to me." She looked back at Michael. "Michael, can you feel it?" He simply nodded mutely, gesturing with his chin towards another hand-print on the wall, larger than the one Liz had first noticed. She knew, without a doubt, that it belonged to him.
Liz swallowed, knowing instinctively that what Maria said next was true. "Liz, I think we've found out how to work the granolith."
***
Alex was just in the process of closing his eyes, praying silently to himself as he waited to meet his maker, when something caught his attention. The air between he and Nasedo was shimmering in a way that, although he wasn't sure it was possible, caused his fright to actually increase.
He recognized that shimmer. And, moments later, he was proven right when Kate abruptly materialized directly in front of him, Nasedo's hand now pointed directly at the back of her dark head.
"Kate! Move!"
But it was too late. Nasedo had no time to stop what he had already started. A flash of light emerged from his hand and smashed directly into Kate. Alex watched in horror as her blue eyes rolled up into her head and she collapsed to the ground.
He was on his feet and by her side seconds later. He didn't even care if Nasedo shot him down too. All he knew was that he had to get to her. Dropping to his knees, he pulled her gently into his arms, shaking her lightly. "Kate? Kate!" She was still breathing, but shallowly.
Alex realized that Whittaker had joined him. She was running her hands through Kate's long hair, searching for the wound that the shapeshifter had created. Looking up, he saw Nasedo on the ground nearby. He looked at Whittaker in amazement.
"It's what I was trying to tell you earlier," she said quickly. "I managed to work myself free. I was trying to get you to help me overpower him. He was distracted when he hit her, so I took him out then."
"Is he dead?"
"I don't know," she replied. "But he won't be bothering us for a while." She was staring down at Kate, her concern obvious. "Well, she's still alive. He must have managed to pull back some of his power before he hit her. He wouldn't want her dead, obviously."
Alex could not take his eyes off Whittaker's hands, which were covered with Kate's blood. And, yet, he managed to stutter, "Who are you?"
"Never mind that now," she snapped. She was already looking around. "Max is here somewhere?"
"I assume that's who Grant meant by the young king," Alex replied.
"We need him," Whittaker said. She was on her feet again. "I'll be right back."
"No!" Alex exclaimed. He didn't want to leave Kate, but he knew that he was the one who had to go. "They'll blast you first and ask questions later."
She paused. "Good point. You go."
Once Alex was through the door, he was forced to proceed with caution. The last thing he wanted was to run into any guards. He didn't have the time, nor the capability, to deal with them. When he saw that all was clear, he hurried down the stone corridor, pausing again at the end and poking his head around the corner.
He stared into the cavern in amazement. All of his friends were out of their cages. Grant was in the process of pushing the last of Nasedo's minions into one of them, then proceeded to slam the door behind him. The guard Nasedo had sent out was standing next to him, his weapon trained on his own men. Isabel, Max and Tess were nearest to where he stood, Max supporting Tess with an arm around her waist. Alex frowned, wondered what [I]that[/I] was about. Well, it didn't matter at the moment.
"Max!"
His friends all turned at the sound of his voice. He watched Isabel's face light up with joy. She flew at him, throwing her arms around his neck. "Alex! You're okay!"
"I am," he replied grimly, disentangling himself. He decided to ignore the hurt expression on Isabel's face for the moment. He just didn't have time. "But Kate isn't. Max, she needs you." He turned on his heel, heading back in the direction from which he had come, not even checking to make sure Max was following. Alex knew he was.
It wasn't until he reached the stone corridor again that he realized Max [I]wasn't[/I] behind him. He turned around, perplexed.
Max had taken a few steps, but was examining him suspiciously. Isabel and Tess were directly behind him.
"What's wrong?" Alex demanded. "C'mon!"
"How do we know you're really Alex?" Max demanded.
Alex stared at him. "What? Oh! You think I'm Nasedo?" He paused, searching his mind for something to tell them that only he would know. He couldn't think of anything. "Ask me a question," he ordered, beginning to tap his foot with impatience. He understood his friends' caution, but every second that ticked by was rendering the likelihood of Max being able to heal Kate obsolete.
Max could not bring back the dead.
Alex erased the thought immediately. Kate was [I]not[/I] going to die.
Max looked at Isabel, obviously expecting her to take the lead. She complied quickly, "How did I convince you for sure that I was an alien?"
"That's easy," Alex replied. "You turned some ketchup into mustard at the Crashdown."
Isabel nodded at Max. "It's him."
Alex turned on his heel again, knew that his friends were following this time. They were back in the interrogation room moments later. He heard Isabel gasp behind him, mentally berated himself for not preparing them for Whittaker's presence.
"She's okay," he said quickly. "Just ignore her for right now, okay?" Max was hovering in the doorway, Isabel and Tess behind him, obviously unsure. "Max, do you trust me?"
"Of course."
"Then get over here and heal Kate. [I]Now![/I] Whittaker's okay," he repeated.
Max stared at him for a long moment, but finally moved forward again. Whittaker stood up, moving aside so that he could kneel next to Kate. Alex flinched when he noticed the pool of blood that had gathered under her dark head in the short time he'd been gone.
He watched, his entire form tense, as Max placed his hands gently on either side of Kate's face. Max closed his eyes, obviously focusing. Alex did not feel reassured when he saw the sweat that were already beginning to gather on his friend's forehead and he had barely started. It could not be a good sign.
Max finally opened his eyes, looked at Alex helplessly. "I can't make a connection. She needs to open her eyes." He lifted her gently into his arms. "Kate. Kate! Open your eyes! Kate!" And, finally, as though hoping their past relationship might do something to help matters. "Karana!"
Nothing. Alex stared at her, realized that her chest was no longer rising and falling. He looked to the right when he felt someone grab him by the arm. It was Isabel. She wasn't looking at Kate, but at him, her concern obvious.
Max finally looked up again, his sorrow obvious. "I'm sorry, Alex."
"What?" Alex demanded. "What are you saying?"
"I can't.I can't get in. I can't do anything unless I can get in," Max told him, his voice cracking slightly. He met Alex's eyes, his guilt reflected in his gaze.
They both turned their heads when a strangled cry of grief sounded from the doorway. It was Will, Jack behind him. They had both obviously just heard about what had happened.
There was a split second of complete silence, as though they were all frozen. And, then, much to Alex's absolute disbelief, Will broke the tableau. He was on Max in an instant, knocking him away from Kate, whose lifeless form would have tumbled to the ground if Alex hadn't moved more quickly than he ever had in his entire life.
"You bastard! Fix her! Fix her! I won't let her die again!"
Tess screamed, but Isabel and Jack both moved, pulling Will off of Max, who was so shocked, he hadn't even tried to fight back.
"Will!" It was Whittaker's voice, penetrating the absolute pandemonium that had erupted. "Khivar! Stop this! Now!"
Will jerked away from Isabel and Jack, panting. He glared at her. "What good is he? He let her die!"
"Khivar, stop!" Whittaker exclaimed, moving towards him. She placed her hands on his face, forcing him to look at her. "She is gone. It is no one's fault. You must accept this. She is gone."
Alex felt a lump enter his throat at the absolute finality of the woman's words. He pulled the body in his arms more tightly against him, lowering his head, his grief so intense, he didn't even know where to begin handling it.
[I]She is gone. Before I ever really had a chance to know what she meant to me. How could she possibly have meant so much to me in such a short time?[/I]
He felt a hand on his shoulder, knew it was Isabel, but he could not move, could not acknowledge her attempt to comfort him.
He had to have his chance. They had never had a chance!
"Kate." It was more of a plea than anything, but he knew it was in vain.
She was gone.
Liz tilted her head, stared at the blinking light at the base of the granolith, her brow furrowed.
"Are you checking to see if you have alien death-ray eyes?" Maria asked. Her friend had just crawled through into the granolith. Liz looked over at her, laughed slightly. Not that she was in a particularly amused mood. But she knew that Maria was just trying to make her feel better. Her entire stomach was in knots after all.
She knew that Max was okay. She would absolutely feel it if he wasn't, and, yet, she was still worried. Her concern was making it very difficult to think about the problem at hand, which was, of course, the granolith.
"No," Liz replied. "I'm just trying to make it let me remember. I mean, I [I]have[/I] to know something about this thing, don't I? If Tess is a clone of a clone of who I was, then shouldn't I have the knowledge locked up somewhere inside my head too?"
Maria was staring at her. "You know what scares me Liz? I actually understood what you just said."
Liz snorted. "I don't blame you. This whole thing just gets more ridiculous by the day. I mean, really Maria. Can you believe that it was just over a year ago that neither of us even knew that aliens existed?"
"It is weird," Maria agreed. "But I wouldn't change it. Would you?"
"Of course not," Liz replied. "I just wish that it wasn't always so difficult." She glanced at her best friend guiltily. "You know how Tess said she didn't believe that Rowena and Zan abandoned their thrones for each other?"
"Yeah?" Maria prompted, her expression sympathetic.
"I'm glad she has so much faith in them, but Maria, I can't say that I do. I mean, I [I]understand[/I] why they might have done it. It's something that would be very easy to do, you know? If I had the chance to just run away with Max, to give this all up, to be with him and to just be [I]normal[/I], I think I might take it."
Maria reached out, brought her arm around Liz's shoulders. "Liz, that's so not true, and you know it. You had the chance to do that once and you didn't take it. Didn't Max ask you to run away with him that time?"
Liz shrugged. "Well, I don't know if he really meant it. He was drunk. I guess he did. But, now, I'm looking back on that, wondering if I didn't make a mistake. If Nasedo couldn't find Max and me, wouldn't that just be better?" She sighed again, not waiting for Maria to reply. "Of course, I know it wouldn't. He'd just tear this planet apart looking for us."
"Which is why you wouldn't run away," Maria assured her. "Liz, you have every right to wish for that freedom. You even had it at one point. You didn't have to come back to Roswell this summer. But you did. Because you knew that it was your responsibility to do so. Somewhere inside you, you knew that you and Max were meant to be together and that somehow you'd make it work. I have complete faith in you chica. I believe Tess. I know that Zan and Rowena were exactly like you and Max - totally in love and totally dedicated to their planets. And even if they weren't, you and Max aren't [I]them[/I] anymore."
Liz laid her head on Maria's shoulder, glaring at the granolith. "I know," she said, but, inside, she didn't. She didn't know it. She wouldn't know it for sure until she had her memories back. Until she made the damn granolith work.
After a long moment of companionable silence, Maria said, "I just came in to tell you that the sheriff is here. Michael's filling him in."
"How is Michael?" Liz asked, concerned. While Max's best friend had come around, understanding in the end why Max had wanted him to stay behind, he had started to pace like a caged tiger the instant the others left.
"He's okay," Maria replied. "He's taking his job very seriously, Liz," she added wryly. "I have a feeling that you've gained a bodyguard for life. He and Kyle are starting to lay out plans for the king and queen's security detail once all of this is over."
Liz, who had drifted away from Maria, and was starting to circle the granolith, her eyes narrowed as she examined it, started at this and looked back at her best friend. "What? Are you joking?" She asked, incredulous.
"He was talking like twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week," Maria added mischievously. "But you'll get rid of him. All you have to do is make out in front of him once or twice. That really grosses him out, you know."
Liz laughed. "I'm sure that can be arranged." She paused, frowned slightly. "Speaking of making out, did I tell you what happened when Max and I woke up in my bed after I took Serena's scarf off?"
When Maria shook her head, no, Liz quickly filled her in. By the end of it, Maria's eyes were wide. "You made [I]him[/I] glow?"
"Not only that, Maria, for a while there, it felt like we were[I]them[/I]. I don't even remember some of it. It was the weirdest thing I've ever experienced. It was wonderful, but it was also kind of creepy, like they were trying to break out from inside us or something."
"You mean Zan and Rowena."
"Right. Maria, what happens if we make the granolith work and our memories come back and we're no longer [I]us[/I]? I mean, it could happen, right? Like what happened when I wore that scarf." Liz hadn't even realized that she'd been worrying about this until she voiced it to Maria now. She had been concerned though. She never wanted to feel as trapped as she had while Serena had been in control of her body. And she wasn't even Serena. What would happen when she and Max allowed their [I]real[/I] alien sides to emerge?
"I don't know what to tell you, Liz," Maria admitted. "But I have a gut instinct that it's going to work out, that it will be more like Will and Kate and how they remember things."
Liz shuddered. "God, Will. He's going to be devastated Maria, when he finds out he was never married to Rowena."
"Well, Serena's [I]here[/I] Liz. He has Tess."
"But does Tess want him?" Liz asked. "I don't think so. There's something going on between her and Kyle, at least on his side. And I think she might still have a bit of a thing for Max. I mean, just because she found out we're.." She paused, grimaced, reflecting on how she was going to refer to her strange relationship with Tess, then continued firmly, "[I]sisters[/I] doesn't mean she can just turn off feelings she's had for years. Not to mention, I don't think Will can just transfer all the feelings he has for me to her. I really think he loves me."
"It's a tragedy, isn't it?" Maria replied ironically. "Two gorgeous alien kings in love with you. Woe is you."
"Maria!"
"I'm just kidding," Maria assured her. "I feel bad for the guy too, Liz, but you belong with Max. I thought so even before we found out who you really are. I can't be sorry that Will's not going to get what he wants."
"I'm just hoping that he doesn't do something he's going to regret because of it," Liz told her. "He can be a little irrational."
"More reason I'm glad you're with Max," Maria said. "Mr. Rational himself. Of course, that's not necessarily true when it comes to you," she admitted. "But, you're safe with Max. I really don't think that would have ever been the case with Will."
"It's not like I ever wanted Will," Liz reminded her firmly.
"I don't know Lizzie. I saw the way you looked at him the first time you laid eyes on him. There was something there."
"Fine," Liz admitted. "But nothing serious. I just think I must have recognized something in him. At least it never went too far." She decided to put Will out of her mind for the moment. There was no point in worrying about it right now. He needed to be rescued first. She had far more important things to think about - namely the safety of their friends.
Not to mention her determination to have figured out how to make the granolith work before they got back.
Lifting her hands, Liz rubbed her temples. She glared at the granolith. "I hate this thing," she muttered.
"Liz, if you can't make it work, you can't make it work," Maria admonished her. "There's no reason to get so upset. We'll figure it out."
"How, Maria? How are we going to figure it out?" Liz demanded, knowing that her frustration was evident in her voice.
"I don't know," Maria admitted. She sighed, took a step back and leaned into the silver wall behind her.
Liz, who was watching her from the other side of the chamber, frowned slightly. "Maria?"
"Yeah?"
"Did that wall behind you just [I]move?[/I]"
But Maria wasn't there to answer. Because, suddenly, the wall was gone and so was Maria.
"Maria!" Liz's scream was loud enough that it brought Michael's head poking through the entrance to the chamber. Liz barely noticed though, already around the up-side down cone and through the hole where Maria had disappeared.
She heard Michael calling after her, but ignored him. She found herself standing at the head of a flight of stairs. They led into darkness. "Maria?" She called down, her voice softer than she meant it to be. She could feel her heart thundering in her chest.
She felt Michael behind her in the darkness. "Liz, what happened?" The sheriff and Kyle brought up the rear.
"She just fell through the wall," Liz replied. She took a careful step down. Instantly the stair under her feet lit up, as though encouraging her to proceed. She gasped, reached back and grabbed Michael's hand.
He was nowhere near as tentative. Grasping her firmly, he practically flew down the steps, pulling her after him, yelling into the darkness. "Maria!" Liz heard the sheriff calling after them. With every step they took, the steps brightened, lighting their way.
They were soon at the bottom, where they found Maria woozily climbing to her feet. Michael let go of Liz and was at her side instantly, helping her up. "Are you okay?" He demanded.
Liz's best friend leaned into her boyfriend, reaching up to rub the small of her back. "I think so."
"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Michael bellowed, making Liz jump.
"Gee, Michael," Maria snapped back, her annoyance getting the better of whatever pain she might have been feeling. "I really chose to fall through a wall and down a flight of stairs on purpose."
He didn't reply, simply pulled her more tightly against him. Liz could see the whiteness of his face clearly. She turned to watch the sheriff and Kyle reach the bottom of the stairs. They were both wearing expressions of concern, which were quickly replaces by amazement as they looked around. The sheriff managed a gruff reprimand to Michael for acting without thinking, but he was obviously more interested in the room Maria had found than in getting angry.
The chamber in which they found themselves was lit from within the walls, throwing the same dull glow as the granolith did above. Liz looked around, her own eyes widening. She then looked up and found herself staring at what had to be the bottom of the granolith. It was an inverted cone, reflecting almost identically the cone that could be found above.
"Liz, look!"
Maria's voice captured Liz's attention. She followed Maria's pointed finger with her gaze and found herself staring at a sliver hand-print. It was embedded in the wall. She moved two steps towards it before she knew what she was doing. It was only Michael grabbing her by the elbow that stopped her.
"It's.I think it's [I]mine[/I]," she whispered. "It's calling to me." She looked back at Michael. "Michael, can you feel it?" He simply nodded mutely, gesturing with his chin towards another hand-print on the wall, larger than the one Liz had first noticed. She knew, without a doubt, that it belonged to him.
Liz swallowed, knowing instinctively that what Maria said next was true. "Liz, I think we've found out how to work the granolith."
***
Alex was just in the process of closing his eyes, praying silently to himself as he waited to meet his maker, when something caught his attention. The air between he and Nasedo was shimmering in a way that, although he wasn't sure it was possible, caused his fright to actually increase.
He recognized that shimmer. And, moments later, he was proven right when Kate abruptly materialized directly in front of him, Nasedo's hand now pointed directly at the back of her dark head.
"Kate! Move!"
But it was too late. Nasedo had no time to stop what he had already started. A flash of light emerged from his hand and smashed directly into Kate. Alex watched in horror as her blue eyes rolled up into her head and she collapsed to the ground.
He was on his feet and by her side seconds later. He didn't even care if Nasedo shot him down too. All he knew was that he had to get to her. Dropping to his knees, he pulled her gently into his arms, shaking her lightly. "Kate? Kate!" She was still breathing, but shallowly.
Alex realized that Whittaker had joined him. She was running her hands through Kate's long hair, searching for the wound that the shapeshifter had created. Looking up, he saw Nasedo on the ground nearby. He looked at Whittaker in amazement.
"It's what I was trying to tell you earlier," she said quickly. "I managed to work myself free. I was trying to get you to help me overpower him. He was distracted when he hit her, so I took him out then."
"Is he dead?"
"I don't know," she replied. "But he won't be bothering us for a while." She was staring down at Kate, her concern obvious. "Well, she's still alive. He must have managed to pull back some of his power before he hit her. He wouldn't want her dead, obviously."
Alex could not take his eyes off Whittaker's hands, which were covered with Kate's blood. And, yet, he managed to stutter, "Who are you?"
"Never mind that now," she snapped. She was already looking around. "Max is here somewhere?"
"I assume that's who Grant meant by the young king," Alex replied.
"We need him," Whittaker said. She was on her feet again. "I'll be right back."
"No!" Alex exclaimed. He didn't want to leave Kate, but he knew that he was the one who had to go. "They'll blast you first and ask questions later."
She paused. "Good point. You go."
Once Alex was through the door, he was forced to proceed with caution. The last thing he wanted was to run into any guards. He didn't have the time, nor the capability, to deal with them. When he saw that all was clear, he hurried down the stone corridor, pausing again at the end and poking his head around the corner.
He stared into the cavern in amazement. All of his friends were out of their cages. Grant was in the process of pushing the last of Nasedo's minions into one of them, then proceeded to slam the door behind him. The guard Nasedo had sent out was standing next to him, his weapon trained on his own men. Isabel, Max and Tess were nearest to where he stood, Max supporting Tess with an arm around her waist. Alex frowned, wondered what [I]that[/I] was about. Well, it didn't matter at the moment.
"Max!"
His friends all turned at the sound of his voice. He watched Isabel's face light up with joy. She flew at him, throwing her arms around his neck. "Alex! You're okay!"
"I am," he replied grimly, disentangling himself. He decided to ignore the hurt expression on Isabel's face for the moment. He just didn't have time. "But Kate isn't. Max, she needs you." He turned on his heel, heading back in the direction from which he had come, not even checking to make sure Max was following. Alex knew he was.
It wasn't until he reached the stone corridor again that he realized Max [I]wasn't[/I] behind him. He turned around, perplexed.
Max had taken a few steps, but was examining him suspiciously. Isabel and Tess were directly behind him.
"What's wrong?" Alex demanded. "C'mon!"
"How do we know you're really Alex?" Max demanded.
Alex stared at him. "What? Oh! You think I'm Nasedo?" He paused, searching his mind for something to tell them that only he would know. He couldn't think of anything. "Ask me a question," he ordered, beginning to tap his foot with impatience. He understood his friends' caution, but every second that ticked by was rendering the likelihood of Max being able to heal Kate obsolete.
Max could not bring back the dead.
Alex erased the thought immediately. Kate was [I]not[/I] going to die.
Max looked at Isabel, obviously expecting her to take the lead. She complied quickly, "How did I convince you for sure that I was an alien?"
"That's easy," Alex replied. "You turned some ketchup into mustard at the Crashdown."
Isabel nodded at Max. "It's him."
Alex turned on his heel again, knew that his friends were following this time. They were back in the interrogation room moments later. He heard Isabel gasp behind him, mentally berated himself for not preparing them for Whittaker's presence.
"She's okay," he said quickly. "Just ignore her for right now, okay?" Max was hovering in the doorway, Isabel and Tess behind him, obviously unsure. "Max, do you trust me?"
"Of course."
"Then get over here and heal Kate. [I]Now![/I] Whittaker's okay," he repeated.
Max stared at him for a long moment, but finally moved forward again. Whittaker stood up, moving aside so that he could kneel next to Kate. Alex flinched when he noticed the pool of blood that had gathered under her dark head in the short time he'd been gone.
He watched, his entire form tense, as Max placed his hands gently on either side of Kate's face. Max closed his eyes, obviously focusing. Alex did not feel reassured when he saw the sweat that were already beginning to gather on his friend's forehead and he had barely started. It could not be a good sign.
Max finally opened his eyes, looked at Alex helplessly. "I can't make a connection. She needs to open her eyes." He lifted her gently into his arms. "Kate. Kate! Open your eyes! Kate!" And, finally, as though hoping their past relationship might do something to help matters. "Karana!"
Nothing. Alex stared at her, realized that her chest was no longer rising and falling. He looked to the right when he felt someone grab him by the arm. It was Isabel. She wasn't looking at Kate, but at him, her concern obvious.
Max finally looked up again, his sorrow obvious. "I'm sorry, Alex."
"What?" Alex demanded. "What are you saying?"
"I can't.I can't get in. I can't do anything unless I can get in," Max told him, his voice cracking slightly. He met Alex's eyes, his guilt reflected in his gaze.
They both turned their heads when a strangled cry of grief sounded from the doorway. It was Will, Jack behind him. They had both obviously just heard about what had happened.
There was a split second of complete silence, as though they were all frozen. And, then, much to Alex's absolute disbelief, Will broke the tableau. He was on Max in an instant, knocking him away from Kate, whose lifeless form would have tumbled to the ground if Alex hadn't moved more quickly than he ever had in his entire life.
"You bastard! Fix her! Fix her! I won't let her die again!"
Tess screamed, but Isabel and Jack both moved, pulling Will off of Max, who was so shocked, he hadn't even tried to fight back.
"Will!" It was Whittaker's voice, penetrating the absolute pandemonium that had erupted. "Khivar! Stop this! Now!"
Will jerked away from Isabel and Jack, panting. He glared at her. "What good is he? He let her die!"
"Khivar, stop!" Whittaker exclaimed, moving towards him. She placed her hands on his face, forcing him to look at her. "She is gone. It is no one's fault. You must accept this. She is gone."
Alex felt a lump enter his throat at the absolute finality of the woman's words. He pulled the body in his arms more tightly against him, lowering his head, his grief so intense, he didn't even know where to begin handling it.
[I]She is gone. Before I ever really had a chance to know what she meant to me. How could she possibly have meant so much to me in such a short time?[/I]
He felt a hand on his shoulder, knew it was Isabel, but he could not move, could not acknowledge her attempt to comfort him.
He had to have his chance. They had never had a chance!
"Kate." It was more of a plea than anything, but he knew it was in vain.
She was gone.