They approuch the chamber, the sun rising over the horizen

"Hurry!" Isabel said, looking at the sun.

Suddenly from the overhang of a cliff, shots rang out. "Get down!" Michael pushed the girls and Max to the ground. Michael was shot in the arm. "Michael!" Isabel reached for him, he crawled to them. Isabel covered his wound, and used her powers to heal it. "Thanks Izzy." Michael smiled. "What the hell." Max looked up. "It's the military!" Max yelled. they gasped.

Max turned to Tess. Grabbing her shoulders, and looking at her lovingly. "Your sure you know how Liz's theory works?" Max asked. Tess nodded. "The Granolith. Nasado gave me a key. Her theory is that-" Tess and Max ducked from the bullets wizzing by their ears. "Holy Shit, Maxwell, lets get in the pod chamber!" Michael urdged. Max nodded. "Run!' He lead them to the chamber. He opened it, and let Isabel and Tess in. Michael and him after the girls were safe.

"They can't get in here. We're safe." Max assured. He turned to Tess. She was gripping her stomach. "Tess..." Max touched it. "Are you hurt?" He asked. She nodded. "Not me.. Max, I have to tell you something." Max put his finger over her lips. "I know." He assured. "I felt him." Tess smiled, nodding.

Michael turned to Isabel, they were on the other side of the chamber, talking alone. "Isabel, your carrying my kid, I know it, it's okay..." Michael smiled. Isabel looked up. "Yeah." She said quietly. They didn't need to explain it to one another, they never really needed words to express themselves.

"Max!" Tess called, from inside the Granolith chamber. "Something's worng!" Tess called again. They all came running in. "Wrong, what?" Max asked, touching the purple glowing cone shaped ship. "I put the key in, but I don't think it's ready, and there's a clock, a coutdown..." Tess pointed to the wall. "It's okay, this is what it's supossed to do, I think you did it right, we just have to wait." Max explined hugging her. Michael moved to the clock. "If that's an hour, then...Maxwell!" Michael called. "Yeah we have to wait... 24 hours!" Michael snapped.

Max walked up to him, and counted for himself. Sighing sadly. "Michael's right, 24 hours." Max said, patting Michael on the back.

Outside

An army post was being set up. A private came waltzing into a tent, saluting the general. "General. A message." He handed a crisp piece of paper to him, and left. The General read the note. It read:

The targets are in the moutain, use any force needed to extract them and bring them back to the base, ASAP.

The General lifted his head. "Get the big guns, we're going in..." He announced. Several soldiers left promptly to carry out his orders.

An hour later

They set up large rocket lanchers.

Minutes later inside the chamber

A large shudder shook the mountain face. But the rocket only seemed to make a small dent. "Ah!" Tess and Max fell to the groud. Michael and Isabel we're already sitting down. They felt the ground. "They're trying to blast their way in! Maxwell, given enough time, and enough power, they'll get in." Michael advised Max. His past life as an army general was coming back. "Good, well, we'll be gone by then." Max explained. They could only hope he was right.

Max stares at the clock

Each minute unfolding before his eyes, bringing more terror, more unanswered questions. There was only two hours left, and with each explostion the moutian and chamber shook violently, more so with each blast.

Max sighed, touching the clock. Tess was watching him, looking doubtful about something. Isabel and Michael were also watching, but not seeing what Tess saw.

"What's up?" Michael asked, responding to Tess' face. She looked up, into his eyes, a twinge of fear rose, then settled again. For a split second Michael looked at Max, and saw what Tess did. He was afraid. Michael saw the fear, the responsiblity he carried.

As they gazed at max, who was unaware of them looking at him. The chamber shook, hard. Pieces of rock began to fall. Isabel looked up and saw it, pushing Michael and Tess away. "Isabel!" Michael cried turning to see a rock the size of his head hit Isabel, she fell to the ground.

Michael got up and ran to her side. Lifting her head. "Wake up, Isabel! Wake up." He shook her lightly. Max turned, running to them. "What happened, what happened!" Max asked. Michael looked up wett wth tears and his eyes firey. "Maxwell you save her, save her right now!" Michael demanded. Michael didn't need to ask. Maxwell was already searching her head, looking for the right spot to heal her in. Then it glowed, her head and his hand, this was it. Max looked at Isabel. "Izzy... stay with me." He murmured. Seconds later. Isabel began to wake, and Max let go. He was breathing hard, but smiled and gave his sister a kiss on her forehead.

Michael smiled, taking her into him, and hugging her. "I thought, for a second there that I was going to loose you." Michael exhaled. Isabel laughed. "Not in this life time." She smiled.

Tess looked up. "I don't want to ruin this great little moment, but..." Tess grabbed Max and pulled his aside. Just intime, a giant rock came down. Then another blast. Max ran to the countdown. "We only have 20 minutes left! If they can just NOT come for 20-" Max was stopped shprt by another large vibration. "Maxwell, they're getting close, they know it. Thatr's why they're so close together with the blasts!" michael called. Max nodded to himself. "God, save us." Max whispered to himself. He may not believe in a God, but right now he believed that he need a miricle.

Tess walked in. "Max, I have to tell you something, no intrupting, until I'm done." She began. Max looked at her. He was silent, as she asked. "Alex... That's why they military are here. Remember when i said that he blurted out a bunch, well... they thing I neglected to tell you was-" A vibration shook the chamber. tess fell into Max's arms. "Alex blamed me, us, all of us for what had happened to Liz, Maria, Kyle... and him." Another vibration. Tess took Max's face into her hands, keeping him focused. "He said... 'You all deseve what you get, once they come you'll pay'." Tess stopped. "He was rambling and I didn't think much of it. When Michael and Isabel told us that the army had come, i knew that they had found us... that Alex had told them." Tess looked down. Max looked away. they clock had three minutes left.

Outside

"General." One of the gunmen came to him. "Yes?" he asked. "I was imformed that we're almost through, awaiting directions on wheather or not to go in, sir." The officer saluted. The General smiled. "HOw many blasts?" He asked. the pfficer replied quickly. "Just two." He answered.

"Take a team of 12, I'm coming too." the General informed his man.

Inside

Two quick blasts were shot, and the wall of the chamber came crumbling in. The four aliens ran to the other side, into the granolith chamber.

"Maxwell!" Michael called, urging them to his side. They hutlled together, beside the granolith. Max looked at the clock. "Only 30 seconds" Max informed the others. "We'll make it." Tess said, quietly, but loud enough so the others could hear her.

They heard the footsteps of the troops charging in. 20 seconds to go. Max had the girls stand behind him, Michael was at the end, forming a protective square, each person had a side.

The troops entered the chamber where the four stood. "Sir! We've found them!" An officer called. A tall man, burly and handsome came walking in. "These are the aliens? Well I did expect something a little more... green, but you take what you can get, huh?" he smiled looking at them. Max grew angry. He was about to snap back, when the clock started to flsh. "I hate to leave, with us just meeting but. We have to go home." max smiled. He touched the edge and looked to Tess, and Isabel. They gott on. the toops began to lower their guns, in awe of them. "Ge- General, what do we do!" they asked, afraid. "What they hell was that?" the general asked.

Max smiled. Michael pulled. "We have to leave, for get them, they can't harm us now!" Michael urged. Max waved him off. "Get in." Max ordered. Then looking to the general Max smiled. "That? What, my ship?" Max smiled. the clock only had a few seconds left. Max walked closer to the General. "Your not dealing with a few lost soldiers, your dealing with the rulers of an entire worls, far beyond your reach. I suggest you inform you ment o back down." Max raised his hand. The troops jumped thinking Max was going to attack them. "Gotta run." Max said, touching the side of his ship. He made it, with 2.3 seconds to go. The walls began to melt and the ship molded into a more metal looking shape. The aliens could not longer be seen. The troops ran from their leader.

He stood and watched them leave. Running outside, the ship shot into the air too quickly to for his human eyes to follow. "My... God." He whidpered.

Two years later

The General stood infornt of hundreds people. He was speaking to them. It was then they I realized, force wasn't enough, that these people ruled entire worlds, not sections of a world. They ruled as one people. And if we are ever to evolve into something more, we must learn to do this too." He stopped.

The people got up, and cheered him on. Far back in one of the last rows sat three familar people. The General didn't see them, but they were very pleased.

The male figure got up and put a pair of glasses on. Walking with confiedence out to the parking lot. The two girls followed, putting their glasses on. They stopped outside. A Man in a jeep waited for them. "Ready?" He asked. one of the girls jumped in the passenger seat. Her curly hair blew in the wind. The other two jumped in the back. "So? Ready to go back home?" Max asked. Tess, Michael and Isabel all grinned ear to ear.

The jeep sped off heading toward the desert.

THE END