Jill hesitantly gave 'Jake' to Tess, who bobbed him up and down instinctively on her hip. She cooed at him and smelled his hair. The couple watched her curiously.
"That's amazing… Jake hates strangers… it took him almost a month to let me do that." Jill said with astonishment.
Max stepped in front of Tess and the baby and escorted them into the next room.
"She has to make her evaluation alone with the child." He explained, motioning them to sit down at their table.
Robert ran his hands through his hair. "So what's going to happen… now that you guys know about this weird… stuff."
"Please don't take our son away." Jill begged Max, placing a hand on his forearm.
Max pulled away. "The fact of the matter is that in cases like this, where adoptive parents make claims against their children – it is standard procedure to remove the child from the home, until we determine what the truth of the matter is." Robert and Jill looked crushed. Max continued. "You say he blew up your vacuum, and melted your tea pot?"
Jill nodded. "That's right. And the other day he made the kitchen table… it flew across the room." She said lowly.
The alien king concealed his laughter with a sorrowful grunt. "Well, until we determine the truth of these claims, we'll be forced to-"
Before his could finish his sentence, Jill jumped up and ran into the kitchen, coming back with a melted tea pot in her arms. She slammed it down on the table, panting. Her hands were shaking, and her eyes were red from crying. She looked to Max with desperation plastered on her face,
"Look at this… look at it. This is what he did. He did it." She exclaimed quietly.
Max studied the tea pot and feigned interest. "Ma'am – with all due respect, this could have been done with a hot iron or something…" He trailed off.
It was clearly the smudged handprint of a child that had been melted into the face of this metal tea pot, but Max had to keep this quiet. He set the kettle down and stood up, moving to get back to Tess.
"Sir, no… please, sir wait!" Jill begged, running after him.
Robert stopped his wife; clearly he was not as interested in keeping this devil child.
"Let's go." Max said to Tess.
Tess nodded, turning to the couple. "Is there anything you'd like him to take? Like, a stuffed animal or some clothing?"
Jill crumbled to the floor, sobbing. Robert patted his wife's back for a moment, and then looked up into Tess' eyes. He nodded and asked her to follow him. Tess did, carrying Zan with her. When they were in the nursery, away from his wife; he began to pack up several bags for the baby. As he did, he started to speak frankly with Tess.
"I know you're not from adoption services." He said flatly.
He studied the way she was with this fussy baby. The child seemed utterly calm with her; unlike he'd been with either himself or Jill.
"You're Jake's mother, aren't you?" He asked.
Tess did know what to say. "What?"
"It's ok. I'm not going to stop you. That boy is special… but you already knew that, didn't you?" His question was rhetorical.
Tess slowly nodded – admitting the truth to this man. "Our son is very special."
"I know. I knew it the day I saw him… there was something about his eyes, they weren't… don't take this the wrong way, but they weren't human."
Tess stroked her son's head. "Not everyone will understand that he's special. Please, keep this to yourself."
The man nodded. "You have my word."
"Thank you."
As the door closed behind them, both parents sighed a long breath of relief. They had their baby back. Max stroked Zan's head as Tess carried him to the van. She was grinning from ear to ear.
"Max, thank you." She said tearfully. "I never thought I'd see him again."
Isabel ground her teeth together. That kid was going to cause all kinds of problems. Crammed in the vehicle like sardines, Isabel groaned with an annoyed tone. Michael gave a concerned look after seeing the kid. Liz also sighed, leaving only Kyle slightly enthused. He held the baby's hand a moment, and smiled at him, making him giggle. Tess kissed her sweet boy again and again.
As the sun set, Max pulled the van into a motel parking lot. The gang jumped out. Tess carried Zan, who was sleeping soundly in her arms. Liz looked to Isabel, knowingly. She wanted to talk. Isabel nodded, and they walked to the farther corner of the parking lot as the others went into the office to get some rooms.
"What do you want?" Isabel demanded, crossing her arms.
Liz sighed. "We both want the same thing."
"Oh? And what's that?" She asked, towering over the girl.
The small brunette shifted uncomfortably. "You want the kid out of the way, to become Queen, and I want to make sure they suffer." She pointed to the office.
"So, what? Are you suggesting we work together?" The blonde alien bombshell rolled her eyes.
She nodded. "With both of us, I think we can get what we want."
"What did you have in mind?" Isabel asked
The young girl stepped back and sighed. She stared into the window of the motel office, and ground her teeth at the sight of Tess and that Child.
"We kill Tess and kidnap the kid, use Michael to keep Max off the track until we get where we need to be. Then, when he draw him in, we kill his kid, and destroy the crown. Max won't want to go back to Antar without his family. You'll get the throne, and become Queen."
Isabel smiled. "So, what's in it for you?"
"I get Max to myself. In the aftermath of their deaths, I'll comfort him, make him remember what we had. I've always known to how manipulate his feelings. That has not changed."
The alien princess smirked. "I got to hand it to you Liz, you thought this out."
"Well, I've got plenty to motivate me."
The girls nodded at one another, and started their way back to the motel, to join the group as they separated into their room. Liz went with Kyle, Isabel and Michael walked into their room hand-in-hand, as Tess accompanied Max to the final room.
"They don't want me here." Tess began.
Max watched his wife set their son on the bed, and gently stroke his head to calm him into a sleep. He wondered, if things never got better – would he care? He had everything he'd wanted, and all that he longed for was now here. Even on the run, in danger and paranoid – he felt at ease.
"Are you listening, Max?" Her voice shared a tender tone, with a whisper of annoyance.
He shook the thoughts from his head, and nodded. "Yea." He took a breath. "They'll come around, I'm sure." He smiled.
They laid on the bed – with the child between them. For the first time ever, Max, Tess and Zan were a family. Not just in blood, but for real. He snuggled his son, and held his wife close. They were home – even if home was never to be seen again.
Their Past lives
"Come on Zan, stop it!" A young Vilondra jumps eagerly to reach a doll her younger brother held from her.
The boy laughs. "Come and get it!" He taunted.
"Just give me it!" She wails.
Zan shook his head. "No way, if you want it – work for it."
Vilondra took a step back, and studied the scene. Zan was taller, stronger – although he was younger – how could she get it from him? Then an idea hit her – steal it through force. Yes! That's it, take it!
"That's… mine!" She cried.
The young princess jumped on top of her younger brother, knocking him to the ground. He hit the floor and dropped her doll. Undaunted by their fall, she whisked the doll from the ground, and ran off to play – laughing.
"Vilondra!" Their mother yelled. "Did I just see you hit your brother?"
Vilondra smiled wickedly. "Yes, and I'd do it again." She said smugly.
"What? Why on Antar would you do that?"
She grinned. "Because, if you want something you have to work for it..."
"That's true, but you need not take it by force, there are other ways. Use your words." Her mother explained softly.
The princess stopped. "What if what you really want, you can't take with words?"
"And what is it that you really want my daughter?"
Shyly, she said. "To be ruler of Antar."
"But that role is destined to be your brothers." She explained. "You must forge your own destiny."
"I don't want to. I want to rule. How come he gets to be ruler, when I was born first?" She asked, on the verge of a temper tantrum.
The Queen, and mother of the future King touched her daughters cheek and smiled. "Don't you see? Lonnie, it matters not your age. Rulers are not born first, or second – they are simply, born. Your brother is to be King, that is how it must be."
Vilondra shook her head in anger. "Then I will change destiny. I will change fate."
"Oh no! No, my child. Those who disturb fate are cursed to an eternity of unhappiness. Please, my girl – for the goodness of your soul, put these thoughts from you head. In time you will come to realize that you, you have much to offer; and a destiny as rich and full as your brother's – perhaps more so. You see, unlike you, Zan has no choice in his fate – it's to be ruler, whether or not he wishes it. You get to choose your own path – that is a gift not many people get. Respect what the Gods give you, and love yourself."
However, Vilondra never took the words of her mother to heart. She grew up resenting her brother for the power that had been bestowed upon him, for his chance to rule their world. She hated him for it. Her hatred, unknown to her – would be her undoing.
Their present Lives
The motel rooms never seemed so cold. Isabel wiped a tear from her eye, avoiding a momentary lapse in emotion. As she stood silently over the bed of brother, she knew what she had to do. She had to. She had to. She had to. Do it. Do it now. Now. Now. Now. Do it.
Her arms raised into the air, a weapon far above her head. She could hear her own heart beating, faster, and faster. Sweat beaded on her forehead, as her palm tightened around a long silver pipe. It was dirty with rust.
Rain pelted against the window. Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Her heart pounded. Thump, thump. The pipe rises higher and higher. Thump, thump. Higher and higher. Thump. Her arms began to make their way back down. Thump. The pipe struck the queen's head. Thump, thump. Again, strike her again! Thump, thump. The cold metal bashed Tess again. Again, do it again! Thump, thump. Soon Isabel found herself in a frenzy – bashing the young girl over and over; hitting her as hard as she could. Blood sprayed everything, her clothes, the wall, the floor. Her bare feet were soggy in a puddle of blood. Heaving, the pipe dropped.
Isabel stepped back, and looked upon the evil she had done. Tess was dead, she was gone. Suddenly, Max sat up – having slept through his wife's murder – "Watch out, hey, watch out." He said. "Izzy, c'mon on. Watch out!"
Frightened by what was happening, Isabel ran out into the rain. The wet parking lot gave way to an endless dark abyss.
Michael shook Isabel again. "Izzy, wake up!"
Her arms were flailing about, as if she was hitting someone. "Do it, again. Hit her again!"
"Watch it, c'mon Izzy – wake up!"
Her eyes shot open, and she suddenly realized it had all been a dream. She patted herself down, and made sure there was no blood. She held Michael's face with her hands, and forced them to speak – literally – face to face.
"Michael…. I – I had a flash in my dream. I know what Max is planning to do. We have to kill Tess. We have to Michael. She's controlling Max… oh God… Michael. It was horrible." She feigned great sorrow to match her great lies, and buried herself in his arms.
He stroked her head. "Shh, it's ok. It was just a dream."
"No, no it wasn't just a dream. It was real."
Inside Kyle and Liz's room, there was a much different kind of suspicion going on. Liz was informing Kyle of Isabel's plan to rid herself of Tess, and to take over control of the throne. She also made it very clear that, she, was of course innocent in all of it.
"… then she told me that if I knew what was good for me, I'd keep my mouth shut." She shuttered.
Kyle sighed, taking this in. "I can't believe Isabel would do that. What happened? Why did she change?"
"I don't know." Liz lied. "But she was like this before, when she was Vilondra."
He nodded. "We need to tell Max."
"No. We can't, Max won't believe us, then we'll be doomed."
He sighed. "So what do you think we should do?"
"We need to take care of the problem, before we get killed because of it."
His eyes narrowed. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying desperate times, call for desperate measures."
"Hush little baby don't say a word, mama's gonna buy you a mocking bird…" Tess sung her lullaby to Zan, as he drifted to sleep in her arms.
Max watched with quite contentment as his wife cuddled and soothed his son. It brought him a sense of peace he had not known in years. As she laid their son, who was now asleep to bed, she sat down and ran her fingers carelessly through her hair – combing a few knots out.
"They're plotting, Max." She said quietly.
He frowned. "What?"
"The others, they don't want me here."
Max nodded in agreement; he knew all to well how the others felt about Tess' return. He was beginning to suspect they would leave him.
"We can't do anything about it yet. Let's get some rest." He pulled her onto the bed with him, and they went to sleep, with Zan between them.
As the unsuspecting aliens slept. Several vans parked themselves in the parking lot, a dozen men with electric tazer weapons crept along the walls, careful to remain silent. First they opened Liz and Kyle's room. Moment's later they carried to unconscious bodies into the first of three vans.
Next they opened Isabel and Michael door. Isabel, to their astonishment was standing, waiting for them to arrive. She smirked happily as the first troop entered.
"Be careful boys, this alien bites – hard."
The troop leader said. "Take her!"
"Uh, uh, uh." She shook a finger at them. "I don't think you'll need those." She pointed to their tazers and they melted in the troops hands. "Now listen to me, very carefully."
Outside, more troops entered into Max and Tess' room.
Suddenly, Tess awoke to the sound of Zan screaming. Her eyes traveled the room, finding several troops cramming into the small living space. One of them grabbed her, covering her face, and hitting her with something electric. Her body convulsed, and soon she found herself unable to remain awake. In the distance she could hear Max struggling, and Zan screaming.
Their Past Lives
The crowds were screaming. They were cheering their brand new queen with such enthused cries, that the ground itself was shaking. Ava smiled and waved diligently at her people. She approached a tall podium, with a small glowing ball – a microphone or sorts. This was the day she was inaugurated as Queen of Antar – co ruler of her world. This was her big speech – of the duties she was entrusted to handle, and policies she would create and uphold.
"War. Its looming presence is always there, in the back of your minds as you tuck your children into bed, as you go to your jobs, or schools. I understand your fears. We have been at odds with many of our planet's neighbors. As your Queen, I have already struggled to come to terms with the fact that War – although unwanted, may be unavoidable. I do not promise a war-free world, I promise to do my best, to keep our army safe, to keep you safe – if and when war becomes necessary.
Many of you decided long before my husband and I took our thrones, that you would despise us for any wars that might break out; that we should back down before our enemies and let them do what they will. I am here to tell you, no. No, I will not yield before our foes. No, I will not back down; I will not let another nation, and another world decide our fates! If they feel the need to knock upon this majestic world's gates, than so be it! For I will stand waiting for them, I will fight them. And trust you me, they will not find an easy target to attack."
Ava stepped away from the podium, and listened as a wave of roaring people screamed, pleased with her speech and promise of commitment to them. Zan stepped forward, and took his wife's arm; they walked together into the palace hall, the sounds of their people's screaming and cheering fading into oblivion.
Their present lives
His eyes shot open. It was dark, and quiet. He couldn't even see his hand in front of his face, so Michael began to crawl on his hands and knees. After a moment, he bumped into something. Feeling it, he realized it was a person.
"Hello?" He shook the body. "Hello?"
"Uh… I'm here, what?"
It was Isabel, supposedly waking from a daze. In reality, she had instructed the troops to knock Michael out, and then she herself pretended to be asleep in case he woke during the ride to the base. Now here, she was in the perfect spot to start her plan.
"Are you ok?" She feigned interest.
He nodded. "I'm good. How's the baby?"
He touched her stomach, and she pulled away. She didn't want to feel attached to him, especially not now, that she knew what was going to happen to him.
"Where are we?" He wondered aloud.
"I don't know?"
"Well, we should try to find a way out."
He began to feel the walls, fumbling his way about. Isabel made sounds, as if she was also trying to escape. In reality – she was waiting.
Down the hall and to the left another cell was occupied by aliens. This cell was not like Michael and Isabel's. This cell was dimly lit by industrial ceiling lights. The light fixtures swung slightly, casting an eerie shadow upon all that it illuminated.
Two bodies lay silently in the room, side by side. Finally, Tess began to stir. In the distance she could hear a familiar sound – the sound of leaking pipes and army men walking. She knew at once where she was. Slowly, she sat up – taking in her surroundings. She checked Max's neck for a pulse, it was weak. She turned his face to the right, and found large bruises and a huge gash along the top of his head. It was obvious they had beaten him – almost to death. She sucked in her breath and let her hands run over his wounds. She watched as he began to stir awake.
With his wounds healed a little, his eyes opened – and his nose became aware of a pungent smell. What the hell was that stink? He wondered, as his pupils grew narrow – adjusting to the light.
"Ugh…" He moaned, rubbing his head painfully. "What… the…" He muttered under his breath as he saw where he was.
Tess groaned. "Welcome back to camp hell." She stood up, helping him to stand. "Where is our son?" She ground her teeth.
"What is that smell? It smells like…"
They turned together to find – to their disgust – the remains of someone. Max looked at Tess, and they approached the body together.
"Who… is that Maria?"
Max nodded. "Looks like the thought she was one of us. God…"
Her body had been carelessly thrown away in the corner, still torn to shreds – like she'd been a rabid animal. Max covered his mouth with his shirt's edge and coughed from the stink.
"Why would they cut her open like that?"
He shook his head. "I have no idea."
Reaching out, he touched Maria's cold shoulder. Instantly he was taken back, to the moments of her demise.
Maria's flashback
"Alright, I got it!"
Maria ran out the backdoor of the Crashdown Café – threw some garbage out, and picked up an empty crate. Before she could reach the door again, several men in suits grabbed her, tossing her against the wall, and dragging her into their van.
Later, she awoke in the very cell Max and Tess now found themselves. Many men surrounded her. She began to cower into the corner and cry. One of the men grabbed her and shook her – while another yelled at her to tell them where the others 'like' her were.
"I don't know! I don't know!" She cried.
The man yelled said. "We captured footage of you with them. We know you are a part of their group. We know you chose to stay behind. Where are they? How many of them are there now? Why are you here?"
"Please, stop – I'm not an alien!"
"Shut up!" He smacked her face hard, and her lip began to bleed.
Sobs echoed off the cold cement walls. "Please…" She cried.
They grabbed her and strapped her down to a cold table. They began to open the poor girl up – while she was still awake. Maria screamed for mercy, but found none. She cried again and again that she was not an alien, but they refused to believe her. Finally, they opened her up completely – and at once the military doctor stepped away. Maria, now unconscious from the pain, was left alone for a moment.
"What's the matter Doctor?" The man asked.
The doctor went pale with fright. "She's human."
"What?"
The doctor backed away further. "She's human!"
"Shut up… this doesn't leave the room. Kill her, than dissect her. She had interaction with those things; we have to know what that does to us."
"Sir?" The doctor asked. "You want me to kill and innocent human?"
"I want you to do you job."
Maria's Flashback ends
His hand flew from the girl's cold dead skin. Max fell back, gasping for air.
"They thought she was an alien. They killed her – even after they knew the truth."
Tess squeezed Max's arm gently and stroked his back. They mourned for a moment, but she would not allow more than that. She immediately began to search the walls. Max was still in shock. Tess turned to her husband, about to shake him from his shock, and toss him into this brand new, grim reality.
"If we do not get out of here, right now – they will do to Zan, what they did to Maria. Do you understand?" She pressed.
He nodded emphatically. "Let's get our son back."
Even further down the long, narrow hall was yet another cell. This one was almost identical to Isabel and Michael's. Liz and Kyle however, were not calm and collected. Liz pounded on the walls, and Kyle screamed for someone to open the door and let them out. Their cries fell upon deaf ears, for no one in the compound was going to listen to a couple of alien prisoners.
"Oh God…oh…" Liz was hyperventilating.
Kyle shook with fear, remembering the stories of Max's time in the white room. "We're all gonna die."
Liz shook her head. "No, I refuse to die here. There has to be a way out. There has to be."
They began to tedious job of checking each and every brick for a weakness they could use to their advantage.
Back inside Isabel and Michael's holding cell, things were progressing smoothly. Isabel watched as four troops slowly opened their cell door, and stepped inside. She smiled happily at them, as they approached her.
"Did you do as I said?" She asked.
The troop's commander nodded. "We did."
"What they hell is going on here Isabel?" Michael protested upon seeing her interact with the humans.
The troops went toward him with great authority, pinning him down. "Hey! What the hell!"
"Hold him still, I need to retrieve something." Isabel explained.
She took careful steps toward her confused, and betrayed lover. His chest was heaving with anger. He grew tense as she approached him. Closer and closer. He knew something… this all felt too familiar.
"Vilondra?" He gasped.
Startled by the use of her name, she stepped back – baffled. Quickly, she recovered her senses and smoothed her hair carelessly.
"Leave." She ordered the troops.
The troops stared at one another, confused. Isabel glanced at them again, this time fire flickered in her eyes.
"I said go!" She commanded, and they left at once.