Lost In The Crowd

Previously on Lost in the Crowd

Max takes a minute to calm himself. "Who sent you after us?"

The agent looks around the room nervously for a few moments before answering. "Special Agent Kathleen Topolski sent us."

Part III: A Broken Ally

Royal Suite

Max, Michael, Isabel, Kyle and Alex are still staring at the agent, in shock.

"That's bullshit." Michael sneers. "Agent Kathleen Topolski is dead. Pierce killed her himself."

"No, I can guarantee that my orders came directly from her." The agent swears.

"Kathleen Topolski was killed in a fire at Westlake Psychiatric Hospital in April 2000." Isabel yells at the man.

"That was a cover, Agent Topolski is very much alive. She is the head of the newly reFormed Special Unit." The Agent assures her.

Max turns to Isabel. "Can you get inside his head, and determine the verity of what he's telling us?"

Isabel nodded, her powers had developed to the point that she only had to look at some one and concentrate to get into their mind. She closed her eyes and reached out with her mind, invading the agent's innermost thoughts and fantasies. Isabel sifts through all of the anti-alien hysteria that clouded his mind. After a few moments she found what she was looking for.

Flash

The agent that they were interrogating, and several others are standing in a room. There is a blonde woman- Topolski sitting at as desk in the center of the room. She b egins to talk.

"I have an old score to settle with these six, the other three will just be collateral. I have suffered for two years due to their actions and I want them to know what it's like." Topolski sneers, and the four agents in the room with her nod. "Now these two are new to this game. Serena Crowley and Tess Harding, I'm not sure that I've met either of them before, so why don't you get them back here so that we can be formally introduced."

Flash

Isabel's eyes snapped open and she gasps. She punches the agent in the face, knocking him out.

"He's telling the truth. Topolski is alive." Isabel exclaims. "She says that she has a score to settle with us.'

"So what are we going to do?" Tess asks as she enters the room, helping Serena to stay upright. She helps Serena over to the couch and helps her to sit down.

"We'll have to get rid of the bug on the RV, if we plan on keeping it with us." Max says. "Otherwise, we could just take the two cars we have, and just go with those. Either way, we have to leave tonight."

"What about Oz? Like it or not, He's a part of this now." Tess remarks. "And we can't leave Serena behind."

"We have Tess mind warp him, make him think that we're dead. He'll probably break out of it, but it should give us enough time to get away, with or without the RV. We wait for Oz to wake up, then we leave. Maybe he's got a car or something that we can use." Michael says.

"Where do we go from here?" Isabel asks. Everyone present is silent for a moment.

"Montana." Serena says. "My grandfather owns a hunting lodge deep in the woods near Wolf Point. It's big enough for fifteen people live in and We could spend a few months, hunting season doesn't start until September. We don't have to go, but I assure you that we'd be safe there, at least for a while." She suggests, then goes quiet again. Max looks at Michael, Kyle, Isabel and Alex.

"We put it to a vote. I'm not making decisions for everyone anymore." Max tells them.

"If we do go to Montana, we should take our time, If we go too fast, some one might catch onto us." Kyle says. "I vote we go."

"Yeah." Tess says. "It'd be a nice change of scenery."

Alex and Isabel mirror Kyle and Tess's sentiments.

"Well, we all know that we're going, so I'm not even gonna bother with a nay." Michael says.

"Okay, so we get everything we have packed right now, and mindwarp this son of a bitch. Tess, do your thing." Max says, wlaking over to the fireplace and grabbing a bucket of ashes, dumping it all over the floor.

"What are you doing?" Tess asks, confused.

"Make him think that we combusted or something, Topolski would believe it." Max answered.

Ten minutes later, the agent woke up with a headache, and new memories of having been the one to vanquish the alien menace.

Lobby of the Frontier

Oz and Max are at the front desk, checking out of the hotel.

"So are you okay with me tagging a long like this?" Oz asks. "You guys barely know me."

"You have a van, and plus we just met Serena yesterday." Max says.

"Yeah, but she's like you guys." Oz says.

"As long as you don't tell our secrets, I'm sure we'll get along fine." Max says amicably.

Oz nods. "I've got a van, if you need me to drive any one…"

"If you wouldn't mind, I'd appreciate it." Max says.

"Yeah, that's cool." Oz agrees, "Are you going back for that RV?"

"Yeah, I'm sending Michael and Kyle, theres some stuf on it that we need." Max replies.

"Here's your receipt." The concierge says, handing Max and Oz two individual pieces of paper each. They nod and walk away.

"So are we going straight to Montana, or are we going to take the long way?" Tess asks as Max and Oz catch up with the rest of the group and they all begin walking to the parking garage.

"We're taking the long way. We'll go southwest on 15 to Barstow, then head up 40 until we reach Fresno, then we'll figure out what next from there." Michael announces. "Me and Kyle will take Serena's car and go get everyone's stuff from the RV, and we'll meet you guys in Primm."

"Where the hell is that spaceboy?" Maria demands.

"It's a small town near the California border. I planned to pass through it when I was planning on leaving Roswell to go look for Nasedo, after that big deal with Hank a few years back. Wow, we didn't even know Tess yet." Michael explained. "It's a good place to lay low for a few hours. We should be there by eight. You can get there by six thirty if you guys go directly from here. It's easy enough to find if you stay on 15 south."

"What are we going to do about Topolski?" Kyle asks. "We should warn my dad, he won't know that she's still alive and evil now."

Max nods in agreement. "We'll send him a collect call when we reach Primm."

"Okay. We have Oz's van and the Suv, which I'll be driving. Who's going with who?" Alex asks.

Five minutes later, it's all sorted out. Oz, Serena, and Tess would be riding in Oz's van, Max, Liz, Isabel, Alex and Maria would be in the SUV, and Michael and Kyle would be taking Serena's car to go get the gangs stuff and the alien artifacts from the RV. Kyle and Michael bade the gang goodbye and sped off to start the forty-five minute trip to where they had left the RV. Alex drove the SUV past where Oz's van was as Oz, Serena and Tess get in. He stops and calls over to Oz. "You gonna follow us, right?"

Oz nods his head and Alex drives forward to let a car behind him go. "We'll meet you outside."

Tess opens the back door of the van and gasps. There is a drumset and several guitars in the back.

"Wow, another musician joins our little group." Tess comments. "We should become a travelling band.

"Really? Who plays?" Oz asks intrigued.

"Alex plays guitar, Maria sings, and I started playing drums a few months back." Tess tells him. "I'm not that good yet, but I was taking lessons, before we got run out of Roswell."

"That's cool. I play Bass Guitar." Oz says as he settles himself into the drivers seat, as Tess sits on the couch in the back, and Serena takes the passenger side. He starts the van up and drives out to find Alex and the SUV. The two vehicles head south out of Vegas, heading for Primm.

Serena's Car

Michael is driving and Kyle is in the passenger seat.

"So how do you propose we locate this tracking bug they've got on the RV?" Michael asks.

"It's probably on the underbelly. Easiest place to hide and hardest to get at." Kyle says, his experience working at Sonny's garage for the past year paying off.

"Then we'll check there first. We might have to fight, though. Do you think you can control your powers enough yet to do this?" Michael asks.

Kyle thinks for a minute. "I really don't know. Sometimes, usually around Tess, they work fine, but other times, they'll be working one second, then the next, it's like I ran out of gas for my flamethrower. I don't get it." Kyle says, scratching his head.

"I think I get it. As soon as we reach Wolf Point, you and me and Tess are going to work on your control. It's all about the emotions. Tess is obviously your conductor." Michael says.

"My what?" Kyle exclaims, confused.

"You love her, and you wouldn't be able to live if anything happens to her. She's always on your mind and it's affecting your powers." Michael explains.

"Ahhhh. Hmmm." Kyle turns and looks forward. "Isn't life ironic?"

"Why?" Michael asks suspiciously.

"No reason, I was just thinking. We have to be the most missmatched group in history. We have a science buff, a geek turned guitarist, an ex-jock mechanic, the rebel without a cause, an ice princess, a could have been pop diva, a guy who used to work at a UFO museum, and a girl searching for redemption. And then there's Serena…. And Oz." Kyle trails off at the end.

"You don't trust them?" Michael asks.

"It's not that I don't trust them, it's just the chances of finding the two of them within twenty-four hours of eachother. I mean, we can safely exclude Serena from having anything to do with the special unit, but Oz is someone worth watching." Kyle commented. "But it is too convenient. If werewolves exist…. What the hell else is out there? For years, all I wanted to do was get out of Roswell and never look back, but now that I've done that, I wonder if it's worth it."

Michael looks from the road, to Kyle, then back. "In one word, of course it was. Tess. Come on, can you honestly say that you and Liz had the same kind of relationship?" Michael asks. "Would you really want to go back, if it meant that Tess had never come to live with you?"

"No, I wouldn't. Never in a million years." Kyle says. "And I didn't mean it like that. I just wish that things had turned out differently in the end." He admits.

"Yeah,me too.." Michael agrees. They can now see the RV in the distance. "Hey did they have any RV's at that dealership that you stole the SUV from?"

"I didn't see any… You want to dump the bug, I suggest that we do it on a car or truck that's already been sold, perferably heading in the opposite direction that we are." Kyle tells him, and Michael nods in agreement.

Michael pulls the car to a stop, and he and Kyle get out. They approach the RV cautiously, their hands raised defensively, just in case the special unit was waiting again. After checking thoroughly and not finding any traces of the unit nearby, Kyle ducked under the RV, a small flame flickering over his palm. He finds the bug easily, it was almost right where he'd thought it would be. He quickly deactivates it and pulls it out with h im as he crawls back out.

"Got it." Kyle announces, holding up the offending piece of equiptment. He holds it up so that Michael can see it clearly. "What do you wanna do about it?"

Michael thinks for a few moments. "We stop by that resturaunt we passed by ten minutes back, and plant it on someone's car." Michael says. "By the time they've figured it out, we'll be long gone."

Kyle nods and pockets the tracking device. "You wanna drive the RV, or should I?"

Michael tosses Kyle the keys to the RV. "Give me the device, I'll plant it and meet you in Primm, with the others."

Kyle takes the device out of his pocket and gives it to Michael. "Good luck." Kyle says and gets into the RV, as Michael starts walking back toward Serena's car.

Kyle turned the RV around and started driving toward the California border, Michael following in Serena's Civic.

Somewhere on the Road to Primm

Oz, Serena and Tess are all still in Oz's van. Oz is driving, Serena is asleep in the passenger seat and Tess is sitting on the couch in back.

"So why is this Topolski person looking to kill you?" Oz asks, and Tess sighs.

"She had been working undercover as a guidance councillor, until Liz and Alex exposed her as FBI. She returned about the same time that I came to Roswell, and offered to make a deal with Max, Michael, Isabel, Liz, Maria and Alex. Before she could fulfill her end, she was killed by Agent Pierce, or so we thought." Tess explains. "It was before I revealed myself to the others, and Kyle had no idea what was going on in Roswell or about there really being aliens yet."

"Huh. So Liz had a vision that you were all going to be killed at your graduation." Oz asks, and Tess nods.

"We had to leave everything that we had built up, our semi-normal lives, and hit the road." Tess tells him, sadly. She looks out the window and a tear runs down her cheek. "Our parents, our friends, everything."

Tess wipes her face on her sleeve, and rests her head on the couch cushion.

"So what can you guys do? If you don't mind me asking." Oz wonders aloud.

"I can make people see things that aren't there and change their memories." Tess replies. "We all have different powers, and some of the same. We can do stuff like this." Tess says and flicks her wrist toward where Oz's stereo is installed up front, turning it on with her powers.

"Whoa… wow." Oz states, and Tess gives a small grin. She closes her eyes and goes to sleep. Oz looks back at Tess, then over at the slumbering Serena and smiles. For the first time in two years, he felt a renewed purpose in life.

Primm, Nevada

Last Stop Motel

Alex pulls the SUV into the parking lot, and parks it in an empty spot. Oz's van pulls in next to him.

Alex turns to Isabel, who is sleeping. He nudges her shoulder and she wakes up. "Are we there?"

Alex nods, then he and Isabel wake up the rest of the gang. The five of them meet up with Oz, Serena and Tess and the eight of them walk over to the motel office to get a few rooms for the night. Max and Liz go inside with a couple hundred dollars, and the other six wait outside.

"So, do you think that Michael and Kyle are going to get the RV okay?" Serena asks.

"They're not exactly helpless." Alex assures her. "I'm sure that they'll be fine."

"But what are we going to do about Topolski? Even if Michael and Kyle manage to plant the bug on another vehicle, it's not gonna be long before they track us down again." Maria says.

"That's why we have to keep on the move." Isabel says. "We don't stay in one place for too long. It wouldn't be safe."

Max and Liz come back out, five sets of keys in Liz's hand.

"Okay, who's rooming with who?" Max asked with a grin, as he slung an arm around Liz's shoulder and pulled her close.

"I'll sleep in my van." Oz says, figuring that nobody here knew him enough yet to want to share a room.

"I'll room with Kyle." Tess says.

Isabel and Alex reserved one of the keys next Then Maria took one for herself. Serena sees that there is only one key left and Michael hasn't gotten here yet.

"I'll sleep in my car when Michael and Kyle get back." Serena says. "Michael can have the last room."

"No, hey. There's two beds in every room. You can room with me." Maria says.

"Alright, thanks." Serena says, with a wide smile on her face.

The gang then went their separate ways for the night. As Maria walked over to her and Serena's room, she turned to see Serena throw a longing glance at Oz as he got into his van.

'Looks like I'm gonna have my work cut out getting the two of them together. Finally something I can do on this trip." Maria thought with a grin. She walked into the room as Serena approached, and allowed the smaller redhead into the room, and closes the door.

To Be Continued…..