[u]Part 41[/u]
Max was still on his knees, where he had remained after Will's attack. He was staring at Kate in shock, his fists clenched at his sides. He almost wished that they had just let Kate's brother pummel him. Anything was better than the guilt and grief he was presently feeling.
He had barely known Kate, and, yet, he felt that he did. He knew that she had been important to him in his past life and he had the feeling that it soon would have been the case in this one as well. Her kindness, courage and strength had been more than obvious. He would have recognized them even without having made a connection with her the day before.
She was one of them. And now she was gone.
What had gone wrong? This wasn't supposed to happen. He had been afraid coming here, but he had never really doubted that they would all come of it alive. No one was supposed to [I]die.[/I] He had not even thought of the possibility that some of them might not come back. He was the healer. He was supposed to be able to save them. If he couldn't, what was the point of even possessing this gift?
"We need to get out of here."
The silence that had fallen over the room when they all realized that Kate could not be saved was broken by Whittaker.
It brought Max back to himself. He didn't have time to grieve for Kate right now. As much as they all wanted to, it was not the moment. It was his job to make sure that the rest of them got out of there alive. He looked to his left, where Nasedo's body, in the form of Agent Pierce, lay in a heap. It was the first time Max had noticed him there. He shuddered, whether in disgust or because of a remnant of the horror that face still engendered, he couldn't be sure.
"There is no rush," Grant said mildly. "The guards are contained." Max glanced at the guard standing in the doorway, looked at Grant again, raising his eyebrows. "Rylan is loyal to Ava," the shapeshifter told him. He stared at Max, then at Tess to include her. Max understood abruptly that they shouldn't reveal to the guard that they knew that Tess wasn't really Max's Knosian bride. "The rest of them will be too when they understand that Nasedo was threatening her," Grant added. "They are all from Knosis."
"What about Nasedo?" Isabel demanded. Max's sister was kneeling beside Alex, her arm around his shoulders. Their dark-haired friend was still holding Kate's lifeless body tenderly, his head lowered. "What are we going to do with him?"
"He will no longer be a problem," Grant told her grimly. And, then, before any of them could say or do anything, he had moved to Nasedo's side. Dropping down beside the unconscious shapeshifter, Grant placed his hand firmly on his fellow shapeshifter's chest and burnt a hole right through him. Max felt his eyes widen as Nasedo shifted, seemingly by reflex, to the infamous large-eyed, grey alien shape - and then disintegrated into a pile of dust.
Max met Isabel's gaze. She looked as shocked as he felt. "No one told you to do that," Max said, his voice steadier than he expected it to be.
"This is war, your highness," Grant told him. "There is no quarter to be given. He would not have given you any. In fact, he has not. He has made it his life's work to assure that you never reclaim your throne." He looked around at the assembled group, including them all in his statement. "This is true of any of you. Once he had his hands on all of you, it would have been the end of any hope of healing the breach in our galaxy."
Max swallowed, looked at Will, who was standing stiffly next to Whittaker. He was staring unseeing in front of him, his lack of concern about any of this quite obvious.
"He is right, Zan." Max frowned at Whittaker, who spoke softly. "He would have only come after you again. There was no choice."
"Then why didn't you do it a long time ago?" Isabel demanded, glaring at Grant. "You're our protector? Some job you've been doing!"
Max saw Grant flinch. "I have been protecting you to the best of my ability princess," he said quietly. "Nasedo could not die until I was sure exactly where everyone's loyalties lay." He glanced briefly at Will, frowned, then looked at Whittaker. "There is no more doubt. We are all on the same side."
"Then why did [I]she[/I] kidnap Tess?" Isabel was unwilling to let Grant off so easily. Max wondered how his sister was dealing with the fact that the man she had been dating had been lying about his true identity. And she didn't even know about his real interest in her. Max felt a flash of disgust. He didn't want Isabel to have anything to do with Grant after this was all over, but there was no doubt that his sister had been attracted to him. He, Max, might not have any say in the matter.
Grant glanced at the guard standing next to him again, then at Tess, who was watching the whole scene with a slightly bewildered expression on her pretty face. "We cannot get into that now," he stated firmly. "Let it go."
"I won't!" Isabel snapped. "I'm tired of being lied to!"
"Isabel," Max interrupted. She glared at him, opened her mouth to argue again. "Not now. Please." Her mouth snapped shut, but her dark eyes continued to glint with her outrage.
"I'm sorry, Isabel," Whittaker said, her voice reflecting that she meant it. "It will all become clear in time. For now, we need to get Kate back to the granolith."
Max started. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it before himself.
[I]The granolith is life.[/I]
Kate's words filtered through his mind, lightening his heart in a way he had never expected to feel again. Not after losing one of their own because he had been too confident in his own ability to protect them all. That with him around, none of them could ever die.
He had learned a valuable lesson here today, but the feeling that Whittaker's reminder gave birth to meant that maybe it wouldn't be at the expense of someone who did not deserve to die. Not again.
Because what he was feeling was hope. Maybe it could still all be fixed.
Max had been sure that he was going to carry the burden of Kate's innocent death for the rest of his life. Was there a chance that it didn't have to be permanent?
"Can she." He trailed off, barely daring to voice the words. He didn't want to get anyone's hopes up after all.
Whittaker's blue eyes met his. "Yes," she said. "She can be brought back. But it must be soon, or I'm going to have to start from scratch. This human body won't remain viable to receive her essence for very long."
Alex's head had snapped up at the words, [I]She can be brought back.[/I] Max watched his friend's face light up as Whittaker spoke. He looked at Isabel, who was watching Alex, a strangely resigned expression on her face. Max frowned slightly. He hoped that his sister wasn't beginning to realize what she had let slip away from her. It was obvious that something good had grown between Kate and Alex, but the idea that his sister might be hurt by it saddened him. And, yet, he did understand that perhaps it was no less than Isabel deserved. He loved his sister, but she had not treated Alex very well over the last months.
Of course, none of this mattered unless Kate could be brought back. He couldn't believe he was even wasting his time thinking about it.
"Let's get out of here," Max said, determined that, in spite of what it might mean for all of them in the long run, Kate Spencer would get her second - well, third, he amended wryly to himself - chance at life.
Grant commandeered one of Nasedo's vehicles for the drive back to the pod chamber. Max was relieved. It meant that he, Isabel and Tess could ride together in the Jeep. He wanted the chance to talk to his sister alone.
It was not meant to be though. They had freed the remaining Knosians from their cells, Tess ordering them to stand down and remain in the compound until she returned. They complied to this only after it was agreed that Rylan would accompany her to the pod chamber. Max had a feeling that this would not turn out to be a positive. They were going to have to get rid of him at some point, because they wouldn't be able to talk freely with him around. Once he found out that Tess wasn't really Ava, there would likely be hell to pay.
Max wasn't happy about letting Alex ride in the truck with Will, Jack, Whittaker and Grant either, but his friend refused to leave Kate. Since they couldn't exactly expect Will and Jack not to ride with her, Max was forced to allow it. He had a feeling that Alex wouldn't have taken orders from him anyway. Alex had changed over the past few days, becoming more sure of himself and entirely self-reliant. Will and Jack seemed to trust him far more than the rest of them anyway.
It struck Max abruptly that Kate's revival wasn't only necessary for her own sake. Although one might have assumed that it was Liz that held their tentative alliance with the Sardicans firm, in reality, Kate was just as important. They were all slipping naturally into the roles they had played in their past lives without even noticing.
Max wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not.
He was about to put the Jeep into gear when Whittaker appeared at his elbow. He turned his head and stared at her, aware of Isabel stiffening beside him in the passenger seat.
"Can I come with you?" She asked. "There are some things we need to discuss before we get back there."
Max narrowed his eyes and examined her carefully. He had no idea who she was, really. And, yet, her steady gaze convinced him to say, "Get in."
They all sat silently for several long minutes, until Max pulled onto the highway.
"So, I suppose you're wondering who I am?" Whittaker finally asked.
"I'm wondering why you're still alive," Isabel snapped, turning her head and glaring at the "congresswoman."
"I think I can explain that," Tess said meekly from her seat in the middle, Rylan on her left and Whittaker on her left. "I'm sorry Isabel. That was me. I made you think you'd done it."
"What?" Isabel exclaimed.
Max felt his jaw tighten. He didn't say anything though, just glanced at Tess in the rear-view mirror. She met his eyes, her dismay obvious.
"I forgot to mention one other time I might have messed with you guys," she admitted. "I'm sorry, Max. I swear I just forgot. I really [I]was[/I] kidnapped. But by the time Isabel came to find me, Nasedo had replaced Whittaker. That was when he took her captive."
Max sighed. "Fine, Tess. I believe you." He could feel Isabel's eyes on him, glanced at his sister. She was staring at him incredulously. He didn't blame her. But, then, she had missed a lot while she had been held by Nasedo. "Iz, trust me. It's a [I]long[/I] story." He raised his eyebrows meaningfully, nodding slightly in the direction of Rylan, who was already eyeing him suspiciously, as though ready to jump to Tess's defense.
Isabel pressed her lips together, but nodded slightly. She was much more interested in interrogating Whittaker anyway, as was proven by her next question. "Why did you kidnap Tess? Who [I]are[/I] you? You're obviously not a Skin," she added pointedly.
Max blinked, but kept his eyes on the road. He realized that Isabel was right though. There had been absolutely no indication that Whittaker was peeling away. But the Skins [I]had[/I] covered for her in Copper Summit. She had to be linked to them somehow.
"I don't wear a skin," Whittaker explained patiently. "I'm not Sardican in my make-up. I don't need one."
"So, you're a shapeshifter?" Isabel prompted. "Is that why you look human?"
"No, I'm Valonian. I look human because that is the form you expect to see."
Max glanced at Isabel again. She looked as confused by that as he felt. "What?"
"Valonians are not shapeshifters. We are a race born to mediate. We have always been the balancing planet in our galaxy, a race of diplomats. For that reason, we have the ability to appear to others as they would like us to appear."
Isabel gasped slightly. "Max! Doesn't that remind you of something?"
He shrugged, having no idea what she was talking about. "Should it?"
"Don't you remember what our mother said to us in the orb message?" Isabel demanded, sounding annoyed.
Max grimaced. He realized that he didn't really remember very well at all. He had been trying to forget it ever since, after all. Not to mention, immediately following having heard it that one and only time, Liz had ripped his heart right out of his chest, so he thought he could be forgiven for having been a bit preoccupied. "Er."
Isabel sighed in exasperation. "She told us that she looked human because it would make us feel more comfortable!"
"That would make sense," Whittaker assured her. "Your mother was Valonian. She was the king's distant cousin. It was she who arranged your betrothal to Rath."
Max could see that Isabel was fascinated by this piece of information. Max found it interesting, but he was sure not in the same way his sister did. Diane Evans was his mother. He was more concerned with finding out exactly what it meant that Whittaker admitted that she was Valonian - the same race as Rowena.
Max took a deep breath, then blurted, "Nasedo said into the radio that he was dealing with [I]Rowena.[/I]"
"I'm not Rowena," Whittaker replied. She sounded so firm about it, that Max glanced back at her over his shoulder. She was staring at him, her gaze completely open and honest. "Rowena is dead. She died on Valonia when Zan's clone had it destroyed."
"So then Grant was telling the truth about that?" Tess asked. "That wasn't really Zan?"
"No," Whittaker assured her.
"That's it?" Max demanded. "No?"
"I won't go into it now," Whittaker explained. "You will learn it all yourself through the granolith. It will convince you of the truth better than I ever could." Max heard the compassion in her voice, wondered at it. He was surprised when she continued, "I know it troubles you, Max, all the stories you have likely heard over the past few days about how horrible Zan was. If I could have stopped Will and the others from making contact with you when I could not be there, I would have. They do not know the whole truth either. I was mistaken to live away from them as I did. Nicholas was a little too vehement in his support of my husband."
"Your husband?"
"Khivar," she said quietly.
"Khivar is your husband?" Tess exclaimed. "Then that means." She trailed off, glanced at Rylan, then shut her mouth with a snap.
Max watched in the rear-view mirror as Whittaker reached out and picked up Tess's hand. "Yes. You know who I am. And now I know who [I]you[/I] are. It's why I kidnapped you. To know for sure, although I suspected some of what had happened by what Liz told me when she was working with me. Nasedo wanted to make sure I didn't get the chance to find out the truth. It was why he took me then. He thought me a Skin up to that point. It was a very grave error, but once I knew for certain that Liz was who she is, I had to know about you, Tess. About how it all got so mixed up."
Max glanced at Rylan nervously. The last thing they needed was for some Knosian bodyguard to flip out on them. "You found out she's Ava," he reminded her sternly.
Whittaker simply smiled. "Indeed." Max was relieved. It was obvious that she had been in no way about to blow Tess's cover. "Anyway, I hope that I have said enough to let you know that you can trust me." This was directed at Max.
Isabel shifted in her seat, sighing in frustration. "I don't feel like I know [I]anything[/I]. God! I missed so much."
"You will know, Isabel. I guarantee it," Whittaker reassured her. "The granolith will heal you and you will know, once and for all, who you really are."
Max felt a rush of guilt. With Kate and all that had followed, he had completely forgotten that his sister had been gravely tampered with during her captivity. "Iz, are you okay?"
"As long as I know that this emptiness will go away," Isabel replied, her voice trembling slightly, "I'll be fine." Max reached out and took her hand, squeezing it lightly before letting her go again. He sometimes could not believe how strong his sister was. His will to protect her often made him forget. He knew, better than anyone, how vulnerable she really was under her ice queen persona. Yet, he was reassured that she would get through this intact - and that included whatever she might be feeling about Alex and Kate. She was strong enough to survive this.
"There will be no room for emptiness once you have experienced the granolith," Whittaker said. "It will not only heal you individually, for the granolith will only operate with all eight of you in its presence. It will tie you to each other with bonds so strong, they will never be broken again. The granolith - and the eight of you who will join together through it - are the very hope for the future of our entire galaxy."
Max swallowed, stared out the front windshield. He wondered what she'd say if he told her that he wasn't particularly interested in being the 'hope of an entire galaxy.' That all he really wanted was to be with Liz and to secure the safety of the people he loved.
But, he also knew that those things would ever happen if he refused the granolith. Because there really wasn't a choice, was there? The granolith was his destiny. He could not curse his sister and Jack to a lifetime without the core of their being, nor would he even bear the thought that they leave Kate dead.
He could not run away. Not again. Not like he had in his last lifetime.
No wonder Zan had hated being a king. From the very moment of his birth, his life had not belonged to him at all.
Max shook his head hard. He was starting to feel sorry for himself. He had to stop that. Because, in the end, none of this was just about [I]him.[/I] It never had been. It was the mistake Zan had made before, the refusal to accept that sometimes actions had consequences far beyond what could be foreseen at the time. The inability to see past his own problems to how others were affected. It was the mistake that Max was determined not to make again.
He abruptly remembered something his history teacher had said at the very beginning of the term. Max hadn't been paying close attention to school work lately, but he did like history, even more since their study of the Cuban Missile Crisis had helped him to make one of the few right decisions he had since he had found out he was a king.
Mr. LeFeber had said that if people didn't learn from it, history always repeated itself. At the time, Max had questioned that statement. He didn't think it was possible that people could ignore their history, that they always remembered it. And if they remembered it, didn't they have to learn from it?
And, yet, he could see that he and the rest of his fellow aliens had already traveled far down the same road they had taken in their past lives. He more than anyone. They may have not known anything about their history at first, but even as they had learned more, they had still refused to accept that some things just could not be denied - or changed.
Zan had not wanted to be king, and so he had given up his throne. Whether on purpose or by the actions of others, he had not ruled himself and it had resulted in disaster. Everyone he had loved had died and his world was in chaos to this very day. Max knew because of Liz's visit from that future version of himself that it was entirely possible that it could happen here too, on his new world, his new [I]home.[/I] That a decision to ignore his destiny could result in the end of the world.
His destiny might no longer include Tess, but the crux of his future had not changed. He had always overlooked the most important aspect of what his destiny meant, always so concerned about Liz and how it might be affecting her.
He was a king. He didn't [I]want[/I] to be a king, but he was. Accepting it couldn't be just about trying to avoid being killed. It meant much more than that. It meant millions upon millions of people expecting him to do the right thing, to see past his own petty concerns and even past his not- so-petty concerns in order to think about what was the best way to protect them.
It was time to step up to the plate and accept that sometimes, even though it sucked, destiny just had to be accepted. That every once in a while you just had to see beyond yourself to the big picture.
He still did not want to be king. But he knew that he had no choice. He would join with the others and he would go back to Antar.
There was no choice. Not any longer. But, then, in the end, there never had been.
And, so, finally, he would make it [I]his[/I] choice to do it well.
Max was still on his knees, where he had remained after Will's attack. He was staring at Kate in shock, his fists clenched at his sides. He almost wished that they had just let Kate's brother pummel him. Anything was better than the guilt and grief he was presently feeling.
He had barely known Kate, and, yet, he felt that he did. He knew that she had been important to him in his past life and he had the feeling that it soon would have been the case in this one as well. Her kindness, courage and strength had been more than obvious. He would have recognized them even without having made a connection with her the day before.
She was one of them. And now she was gone.
What had gone wrong? This wasn't supposed to happen. He had been afraid coming here, but he had never really doubted that they would all come of it alive. No one was supposed to [I]die.[/I] He had not even thought of the possibility that some of them might not come back. He was the healer. He was supposed to be able to save them. If he couldn't, what was the point of even possessing this gift?
"We need to get out of here."
The silence that had fallen over the room when they all realized that Kate could not be saved was broken by Whittaker.
It brought Max back to himself. He didn't have time to grieve for Kate right now. As much as they all wanted to, it was not the moment. It was his job to make sure that the rest of them got out of there alive. He looked to his left, where Nasedo's body, in the form of Agent Pierce, lay in a heap. It was the first time Max had noticed him there. He shuddered, whether in disgust or because of a remnant of the horror that face still engendered, he couldn't be sure.
"There is no rush," Grant said mildly. "The guards are contained." Max glanced at the guard standing in the doorway, looked at Grant again, raising his eyebrows. "Rylan is loyal to Ava," the shapeshifter told him. He stared at Max, then at Tess to include her. Max understood abruptly that they shouldn't reveal to the guard that they knew that Tess wasn't really Max's Knosian bride. "The rest of them will be too when they understand that Nasedo was threatening her," Grant added. "They are all from Knosis."
"What about Nasedo?" Isabel demanded. Max's sister was kneeling beside Alex, her arm around his shoulders. Their dark-haired friend was still holding Kate's lifeless body tenderly, his head lowered. "What are we going to do with him?"
"He will no longer be a problem," Grant told her grimly. And, then, before any of them could say or do anything, he had moved to Nasedo's side. Dropping down beside the unconscious shapeshifter, Grant placed his hand firmly on his fellow shapeshifter's chest and burnt a hole right through him. Max felt his eyes widen as Nasedo shifted, seemingly by reflex, to the infamous large-eyed, grey alien shape - and then disintegrated into a pile of dust.
Max met Isabel's gaze. She looked as shocked as he felt. "No one told you to do that," Max said, his voice steadier than he expected it to be.
"This is war, your highness," Grant told him. "There is no quarter to be given. He would not have given you any. In fact, he has not. He has made it his life's work to assure that you never reclaim your throne." He looked around at the assembled group, including them all in his statement. "This is true of any of you. Once he had his hands on all of you, it would have been the end of any hope of healing the breach in our galaxy."
Max swallowed, looked at Will, who was standing stiffly next to Whittaker. He was staring unseeing in front of him, his lack of concern about any of this quite obvious.
"He is right, Zan." Max frowned at Whittaker, who spoke softly. "He would have only come after you again. There was no choice."
"Then why didn't you do it a long time ago?" Isabel demanded, glaring at Grant. "You're our protector? Some job you've been doing!"
Max saw Grant flinch. "I have been protecting you to the best of my ability princess," he said quietly. "Nasedo could not die until I was sure exactly where everyone's loyalties lay." He glanced briefly at Will, frowned, then looked at Whittaker. "There is no more doubt. We are all on the same side."
"Then why did [I]she[/I] kidnap Tess?" Isabel was unwilling to let Grant off so easily. Max wondered how his sister was dealing with the fact that the man she had been dating had been lying about his true identity. And she didn't even know about his real interest in her. Max felt a flash of disgust. He didn't want Isabel to have anything to do with Grant after this was all over, but there was no doubt that his sister had been attracted to him. He, Max, might not have any say in the matter.
Grant glanced at the guard standing next to him again, then at Tess, who was watching the whole scene with a slightly bewildered expression on her pretty face. "We cannot get into that now," he stated firmly. "Let it go."
"I won't!" Isabel snapped. "I'm tired of being lied to!"
"Isabel," Max interrupted. She glared at him, opened her mouth to argue again. "Not now. Please." Her mouth snapped shut, but her dark eyes continued to glint with her outrage.
"I'm sorry, Isabel," Whittaker said, her voice reflecting that she meant it. "It will all become clear in time. For now, we need to get Kate back to the granolith."
Max started. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it before himself.
[I]The granolith is life.[/I]
Kate's words filtered through his mind, lightening his heart in a way he had never expected to feel again. Not after losing one of their own because he had been too confident in his own ability to protect them all. That with him around, none of them could ever die.
He had learned a valuable lesson here today, but the feeling that Whittaker's reminder gave birth to meant that maybe it wouldn't be at the expense of someone who did not deserve to die. Not again.
Because what he was feeling was hope. Maybe it could still all be fixed.
Max had been sure that he was going to carry the burden of Kate's innocent death for the rest of his life. Was there a chance that it didn't have to be permanent?
"Can she." He trailed off, barely daring to voice the words. He didn't want to get anyone's hopes up after all.
Whittaker's blue eyes met his. "Yes," she said. "She can be brought back. But it must be soon, or I'm going to have to start from scratch. This human body won't remain viable to receive her essence for very long."
Alex's head had snapped up at the words, [I]She can be brought back.[/I] Max watched his friend's face light up as Whittaker spoke. He looked at Isabel, who was watching Alex, a strangely resigned expression on her face. Max frowned slightly. He hoped that his sister wasn't beginning to realize what she had let slip away from her. It was obvious that something good had grown between Kate and Alex, but the idea that his sister might be hurt by it saddened him. And, yet, he did understand that perhaps it was no less than Isabel deserved. He loved his sister, but she had not treated Alex very well over the last months.
Of course, none of this mattered unless Kate could be brought back. He couldn't believe he was even wasting his time thinking about it.
"Let's get out of here," Max said, determined that, in spite of what it might mean for all of them in the long run, Kate Spencer would get her second - well, third, he amended wryly to himself - chance at life.
Grant commandeered one of Nasedo's vehicles for the drive back to the pod chamber. Max was relieved. It meant that he, Isabel and Tess could ride together in the Jeep. He wanted the chance to talk to his sister alone.
It was not meant to be though. They had freed the remaining Knosians from their cells, Tess ordering them to stand down and remain in the compound until she returned. They complied to this only after it was agreed that Rylan would accompany her to the pod chamber. Max had a feeling that this would not turn out to be a positive. They were going to have to get rid of him at some point, because they wouldn't be able to talk freely with him around. Once he found out that Tess wasn't really Ava, there would likely be hell to pay.
Max wasn't happy about letting Alex ride in the truck with Will, Jack, Whittaker and Grant either, but his friend refused to leave Kate. Since they couldn't exactly expect Will and Jack not to ride with her, Max was forced to allow it. He had a feeling that Alex wouldn't have taken orders from him anyway. Alex had changed over the past few days, becoming more sure of himself and entirely self-reliant. Will and Jack seemed to trust him far more than the rest of them anyway.
It struck Max abruptly that Kate's revival wasn't only necessary for her own sake. Although one might have assumed that it was Liz that held their tentative alliance with the Sardicans firm, in reality, Kate was just as important. They were all slipping naturally into the roles they had played in their past lives without even noticing.
Max wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not.
He was about to put the Jeep into gear when Whittaker appeared at his elbow. He turned his head and stared at her, aware of Isabel stiffening beside him in the passenger seat.
"Can I come with you?" She asked. "There are some things we need to discuss before we get back there."
Max narrowed his eyes and examined her carefully. He had no idea who she was, really. And, yet, her steady gaze convinced him to say, "Get in."
They all sat silently for several long minutes, until Max pulled onto the highway.
"So, I suppose you're wondering who I am?" Whittaker finally asked.
"I'm wondering why you're still alive," Isabel snapped, turning her head and glaring at the "congresswoman."
"I think I can explain that," Tess said meekly from her seat in the middle, Rylan on her left and Whittaker on her left. "I'm sorry Isabel. That was me. I made you think you'd done it."
"What?" Isabel exclaimed.
Max felt his jaw tighten. He didn't say anything though, just glanced at Tess in the rear-view mirror. She met his eyes, her dismay obvious.
"I forgot to mention one other time I might have messed with you guys," she admitted. "I'm sorry, Max. I swear I just forgot. I really [I]was[/I] kidnapped. But by the time Isabel came to find me, Nasedo had replaced Whittaker. That was when he took her captive."
Max sighed. "Fine, Tess. I believe you." He could feel Isabel's eyes on him, glanced at his sister. She was staring at him incredulously. He didn't blame her. But, then, she had missed a lot while she had been held by Nasedo. "Iz, trust me. It's a [I]long[/I] story." He raised his eyebrows meaningfully, nodding slightly in the direction of Rylan, who was already eyeing him suspiciously, as though ready to jump to Tess's defense.
Isabel pressed her lips together, but nodded slightly. She was much more interested in interrogating Whittaker anyway, as was proven by her next question. "Why did you kidnap Tess? Who [I]are[/I] you? You're obviously not a Skin," she added pointedly.
Max blinked, but kept his eyes on the road. He realized that Isabel was right though. There had been absolutely no indication that Whittaker was peeling away. But the Skins [I]had[/I] covered for her in Copper Summit. She had to be linked to them somehow.
"I don't wear a skin," Whittaker explained patiently. "I'm not Sardican in my make-up. I don't need one."
"So, you're a shapeshifter?" Isabel prompted. "Is that why you look human?"
"No, I'm Valonian. I look human because that is the form you expect to see."
Max glanced at Isabel again. She looked as confused by that as he felt. "What?"
"Valonians are not shapeshifters. We are a race born to mediate. We have always been the balancing planet in our galaxy, a race of diplomats. For that reason, we have the ability to appear to others as they would like us to appear."
Isabel gasped slightly. "Max! Doesn't that remind you of something?"
He shrugged, having no idea what she was talking about. "Should it?"
"Don't you remember what our mother said to us in the orb message?" Isabel demanded, sounding annoyed.
Max grimaced. He realized that he didn't really remember very well at all. He had been trying to forget it ever since, after all. Not to mention, immediately following having heard it that one and only time, Liz had ripped his heart right out of his chest, so he thought he could be forgiven for having been a bit preoccupied. "Er."
Isabel sighed in exasperation. "She told us that she looked human because it would make us feel more comfortable!"
"That would make sense," Whittaker assured her. "Your mother was Valonian. She was the king's distant cousin. It was she who arranged your betrothal to Rath."
Max could see that Isabel was fascinated by this piece of information. Max found it interesting, but he was sure not in the same way his sister did. Diane Evans was his mother. He was more concerned with finding out exactly what it meant that Whittaker admitted that she was Valonian - the same race as Rowena.
Max took a deep breath, then blurted, "Nasedo said into the radio that he was dealing with [I]Rowena.[/I]"
"I'm not Rowena," Whittaker replied. She sounded so firm about it, that Max glanced back at her over his shoulder. She was staring at him, her gaze completely open and honest. "Rowena is dead. She died on Valonia when Zan's clone had it destroyed."
"So then Grant was telling the truth about that?" Tess asked. "That wasn't really Zan?"
"No," Whittaker assured her.
"That's it?" Max demanded. "No?"
"I won't go into it now," Whittaker explained. "You will learn it all yourself through the granolith. It will convince you of the truth better than I ever could." Max heard the compassion in her voice, wondered at it. He was surprised when she continued, "I know it troubles you, Max, all the stories you have likely heard over the past few days about how horrible Zan was. If I could have stopped Will and the others from making contact with you when I could not be there, I would have. They do not know the whole truth either. I was mistaken to live away from them as I did. Nicholas was a little too vehement in his support of my husband."
"Your husband?"
"Khivar," she said quietly.
"Khivar is your husband?" Tess exclaimed. "Then that means." She trailed off, glanced at Rylan, then shut her mouth with a snap.
Max watched in the rear-view mirror as Whittaker reached out and picked up Tess's hand. "Yes. You know who I am. And now I know who [I]you[/I] are. It's why I kidnapped you. To know for sure, although I suspected some of what had happened by what Liz told me when she was working with me. Nasedo wanted to make sure I didn't get the chance to find out the truth. It was why he took me then. He thought me a Skin up to that point. It was a very grave error, but once I knew for certain that Liz was who she is, I had to know about you, Tess. About how it all got so mixed up."
Max glanced at Rylan nervously. The last thing they needed was for some Knosian bodyguard to flip out on them. "You found out she's Ava," he reminded her sternly.
Whittaker simply smiled. "Indeed." Max was relieved. It was obvious that she had been in no way about to blow Tess's cover. "Anyway, I hope that I have said enough to let you know that you can trust me." This was directed at Max.
Isabel shifted in her seat, sighing in frustration. "I don't feel like I know [I]anything[/I]. God! I missed so much."
"You will know, Isabel. I guarantee it," Whittaker reassured her. "The granolith will heal you and you will know, once and for all, who you really are."
Max felt a rush of guilt. With Kate and all that had followed, he had completely forgotten that his sister had been gravely tampered with during her captivity. "Iz, are you okay?"
"As long as I know that this emptiness will go away," Isabel replied, her voice trembling slightly, "I'll be fine." Max reached out and took her hand, squeezing it lightly before letting her go again. He sometimes could not believe how strong his sister was. His will to protect her often made him forget. He knew, better than anyone, how vulnerable she really was under her ice queen persona. Yet, he was reassured that she would get through this intact - and that included whatever she might be feeling about Alex and Kate. She was strong enough to survive this.
"There will be no room for emptiness once you have experienced the granolith," Whittaker said. "It will not only heal you individually, for the granolith will only operate with all eight of you in its presence. It will tie you to each other with bonds so strong, they will never be broken again. The granolith - and the eight of you who will join together through it - are the very hope for the future of our entire galaxy."
Max swallowed, stared out the front windshield. He wondered what she'd say if he told her that he wasn't particularly interested in being the 'hope of an entire galaxy.' That all he really wanted was to be with Liz and to secure the safety of the people he loved.
But, he also knew that those things would ever happen if he refused the granolith. Because there really wasn't a choice, was there? The granolith was his destiny. He could not curse his sister and Jack to a lifetime without the core of their being, nor would he even bear the thought that they leave Kate dead.
He could not run away. Not again. Not like he had in his last lifetime.
No wonder Zan had hated being a king. From the very moment of his birth, his life had not belonged to him at all.
Max shook his head hard. He was starting to feel sorry for himself. He had to stop that. Because, in the end, none of this was just about [I]him.[/I] It never had been. It was the mistake Zan had made before, the refusal to accept that sometimes actions had consequences far beyond what could be foreseen at the time. The inability to see past his own problems to how others were affected. It was the mistake that Max was determined not to make again.
He abruptly remembered something his history teacher had said at the very beginning of the term. Max hadn't been paying close attention to school work lately, but he did like history, even more since their study of the Cuban Missile Crisis had helped him to make one of the few right decisions he had since he had found out he was a king.
Mr. LeFeber had said that if people didn't learn from it, history always repeated itself. At the time, Max had questioned that statement. He didn't think it was possible that people could ignore their history, that they always remembered it. And if they remembered it, didn't they have to learn from it?
And, yet, he could see that he and the rest of his fellow aliens had already traveled far down the same road they had taken in their past lives. He more than anyone. They may have not known anything about their history at first, but even as they had learned more, they had still refused to accept that some things just could not be denied - or changed.
Zan had not wanted to be king, and so he had given up his throne. Whether on purpose or by the actions of others, he had not ruled himself and it had resulted in disaster. Everyone he had loved had died and his world was in chaos to this very day. Max knew because of Liz's visit from that future version of himself that it was entirely possible that it could happen here too, on his new world, his new [I]home.[/I] That a decision to ignore his destiny could result in the end of the world.
His destiny might no longer include Tess, but the crux of his future had not changed. He had always overlooked the most important aspect of what his destiny meant, always so concerned about Liz and how it might be affecting her.
He was a king. He didn't [I]want[/I] to be a king, but he was. Accepting it couldn't be just about trying to avoid being killed. It meant much more than that. It meant millions upon millions of people expecting him to do the right thing, to see past his own petty concerns and even past his not- so-petty concerns in order to think about what was the best way to protect them.
It was time to step up to the plate and accept that sometimes, even though it sucked, destiny just had to be accepted. That every once in a while you just had to see beyond yourself to the big picture.
He still did not want to be king. But he knew that he had no choice. He would join with the others and he would go back to Antar.
There was no choice. Not any longer. But, then, in the end, there never had been.
And, so, finally, he would make it [I]his[/I] choice to do it well.