Isabel volunteered for the first watch shift because, with all the anxiety she felt, she knew it would take her some time to fall asleep. Anxiety proved a consistent presence in Isabel's life, spiking when the Skin known as Vanessa Whitaker first explained Vilandra's history to her. She did better after meeting Jesse. However as he learned the truth and her parents investigated her, she again struggled to keep it in check. Isabel did well during the four years on the road after leaving Roswell. In Suncook, she managed her anxiety so well that even Jesse and the girls often didn't know she had any significant anxiety troubles.
Isabel viewed Liz as part of her family now, but they never shared an overly chatty relationship. Isabel intended to volunteer for the first watch shift regardless. When Liz volunteered with her, Isabel welcomed it. It's not that she wouldn't talk to Liz, but Isabel needed some quiet wind down time.
Isabel looked over at Liz, who passed out minutes after the watch began.
Typical, she thought.
Liz presented herself as a goody two shoes, but she was far from perfect. That always rubbed Isabel the wrong way, especially in high school, but even later in their lives. Isabel felt Liz asserted herself with a confidence that she consistently landed on the right side, and Isabel didn't always agree. She didn't always like how Liz shaped her plans with Max and Michael because Liz wasn't a hybrid like them.
From what Isabel learned of their last couple days, Max and Liz experienced plenty of action. Isabel knew she should wake up Liz but felt confident in her own ability to stay awake. She also knew that Liz, as a goody two shoes, wouldn't intentionally neglect her night watch duties if not for extreme fatigue.
Besides, Isabel reveled in the opportunity to sit with all the feelings surrounding the new information uncovered in El Quartelejo so far. Isabel came out of concern for Max. She didn't know anything about the UFO crash, if the government were on to them or if some other danger met them here. Isabel only knew something major occurred for Max. Out of concern for her brother, she made the difficult decision to leave Jesse and the girls and come to render whatever assistance or support she could.
Isabel didn't expect the UFO crash to be real. She never thought she would see Nicholas again. She also felt that she wouldn't encounter Kivar again, definitely not in the shapeshifting-flesh (and she, like the others, experienced shock and surprise in realizing that Kivar could shapeshift).
Because of Vilandra's history, Isabel felt a deeper, more personal connection to Kivar and Nicholas. She didn't like the fierce hatred she felt for them, which oddly enough, also prompted Isabel to feel a need to squash the threat and neutralize these enemies quickly. Isabel felt some relief that she distanced herself from her family back in Suncook since they should remain safe with her nearly 2,000 miles away.
With little warning, Liz sat up with a jolt, breathing a little heavily. Isabel wouldn't put it past Liz to get spooked by a bad dream, which she hoped was all this was. However, she knew Liz could become startled after receiving a prophetic vision, too. Isabel observed Liz's reactions become less stark during her four years on the road with her but didn't want to make any assumptions.
"Did you have a vision or just a nightmare?" Isabel asked. She tried not to sound overly concerned before the explanation came out, but she couldn't dismiss her underlying fear that a disastrous vision caused Liz's distress.
"We can't try to get past the military's checkpoints," Liz said.
Isabel knew that meant Liz experienced a vision, not a bad dream. And Liz's visions were reliable. Fortunately, they could change fate, but Isabel immediately understood this meant that they couldn't proceed as planned.
Isabel considered this a shame. She liked the boldness of the plan to push to the crashed ship as opposed to trying to hide or run and anticipate what an enemy they still understood little about would or could do.
The training with Max, Michael and Ava further bolstered Isabel's approval and confidence in their plans. They realized that Max could put up a shield across all three of them. The others could focus energy from the green defensive shield to the purple color and shoot stunning blasts off without drawing all the energy from Max's shield. Max said doing this weakened the strength of his shield, but they all agreed this tactic could help if a group charged them. None of them knew how badly this would stun an enemy, but they did understand that these mini-blasts contained less power than the combined blast they hit Kivar with. That attack syphoned all the energy from Max's barrier. While it didn't kill Kivar, it seemed more than a mere stun since he swiftly retreated from the battle.
They also used Isabel, Michael and Ava's abilities to send a couple titanic blasts off into the trailer park dirt. They needed to use their powers to undo the craters that caused. Isabel could feel that adding Michael to that attack resulted in a more powerful blast. She didn't dare verbalize it, but she hoped the four of them could kill Kivar with that combined attack. Isabel heard Max talking about maybe using that on the ship itself if it became air born or possibly to force open a hatch if their other powers couldn't do the trick. Isabel preferred to stun Kivar's followers, but she wanted to use this ultra-powerful attack to end Kivar once and for all. She felt like Michael would support this and instinctively believed that Ava would move ahead with that in the moment. Max wouldn't want to kill Kivar if at all possible, but if it came down to it, Isabel wondered if he could stop their attack once his shield was up and the others stacked their hands on top of his.
However, Isabel needed to learn the details of Liz's latest vision, one that appeared to derail their intended plan of attack.
"Why?" Isabel asked, "What did you see?"
Liz's expression sounded gloomy and dire. "If we go to the military checkpoint, we're all going to die," Liz said with a disquieting matter-of-factness.
"You're sure?" Isabel started but didn't even let Liz reply to that. "Yes, of course you're sure. I guess we should be glad you have these visions."
"I suppose I should wake Max and the others," Liz reasoned.
"Now?" Isabel contended. "It's awfully late, and we can tell them the plan is off in the morning. It won't do us much good to stay up all night reaching for other ideas when we're all too tired as it is."
Isabel knew that Liz couldn't argue this reasoning, at least not with the notion of not needing to wake anyone up.
"We can tell Max and Michael when the next shift starts," Liz agreed.
"Maybe," Isabel said. "I want to try something."
Isabel noticed that Liz looked nervous.
"I think I can dream walk Nicholas," Isabel finished.
"What?" Liz sounded surprised. "Oh, I don't know. Don't you think that can be dangerous? He's so powerful. Wouldn't you need back up to confront him?"
"Out here in the world, yes," Isabel conceded, "but in a dream walk I have more power than the dreamer. I can use that advantage to get answers out of him."
"But have you ever dream walked another alien besides Max when he was drugged?" Liz asked with sincere concern.
"No," Isabel admitted, "but, you said it yourself, our only other plan is destined to get us all killed. We need to try something."
"I don't know," Liz clearly didn't fully embrace the idea, "I just don't think Max and Michael would approve."
"That's exactly why we shouldn't tell them," Isabel argued, though she continued to speak softly. "We're going to need to take some risks to get ourselves out of this one. Please, Liz, let me do this."
Isabel watched nervously as her sister-in-law paused to think through her proposed plan. What made the few seconds so tense was that Isabel truly didn't have a sense as to whether Liz would begrudgingly agree or go inside the trailer to wake the others without further discussion.
"Ok," Liz said finally, "you can try it. But if it looks like anything's gone wrong, I'm going to get Max right away."
"That's fair," Isabel agreed.
Isabel sat back, closed her eyes and started concentrating on Nicholas. Over the years, dream walking was the only power she continued to use with any consistency. She worried about using anything more obvious in case one of the girls saw her. As a teen, Isabel needed to look at a picture to be able enter someone's dream. This still made it easier, but Isabel knew she could picture her dream walking target in her head and think about them with intense, meditative focus and accomplish the task of getting in their head. As much as it disgusted her, she focused intently on her previous encounters with Nicholas.
FLASH
Isabel stood in the shadows of a room she could tell featured plush luxury despite the dim lighting. Beneath her she felt the booming base of loud music, which she heard faintly. To her left, she looked through a window overlooking a club with a packed dance floor. She reasoned she stood in some kind of VIP penthouse. Directly in front of Isabel, there was a large couch with a red velvet base and backing and gold painted wooden armrests and support legs. Nicholas sat near the middle, his feet propped up on a glass top coffee table with gold, metallic framing supporting it. His hair was brown, similar to how she always knew him and not the bleached blond look Max and Ava described. He wore a brownish gold robe and black slippers, almost like a Mini-Me for Hugh Hefner look. Nicholas' arms sprawled on top of the couch and two scantily clad supermodels snuggled up to him on both sides. He whispered something presumably provocative to the model on his left.
The scene disgusted Isabel due to her disdain for Nicholas alone. It also felt highly inappropriate given he inhabited the body of a 14-year-old boy. From her wealth of dream walking experience, Isabel knew that she could stay out of the way and observe the natural unfolding events of the dream. She could also interact with Nicholas, who would acknowledge her presence assuming his mind conjured her up for his dream. Isabel took a deep breath and stepped out of the shadow toward the couch.
Isabel used her powers fling the coffee table away in the opposite direction of the window overlooking the club. She used quite a bit of force but heard no crashing sounds to indicate it collided against a wall or other furniture. Nicholas looked up.
"Nicholas," Isabel said, a cold greeting.
"Ooohh, Vilandra," Nicholas reacted giddily.
He brought his arms to his side and gestured for the models to move away. They receded into the shadows of the room and out of sight. Nicholas hopped to his feet and walked toward her with the swag of a ladies man.
"Are you here to provide me with a little of that," Nicholas paused briefly as he licked his lips seductively, "forbidden pleasure?"
"Don't be disgusting," Isabel retorted sharply and used her powers to slam him back onto the couch so violently that it scooted back a few inches. "I'm here to talk about Kivar's ship that crash landed in Texas."
"Oh," Nicholas looked extremely disappointed, "Isabel. It's you." Then, more smugly, he added, "It's a bold move coming to confront me like this."
He crossed his right leg over his left, prompting Isabel to quickly wave her hand putting him in the suit she saw him wear at Vanessa's funeral in Copper Summit and transformed the environment to the porch of his Copper Summit home. Nicholas squinted in the bright sunlight and then looked down, amused at the change of clothes and scenery.
"You know that your powers will never be a match for mine," Nicholas chirped, still showing amusement toward her presence in his dream.
"Maybe not out there," Isabel said, "but in here, I'm in control of the dream."
"Oh, really," Nicholas baited.
Nicholas then stood up and waved his hand in her direction. Isabel got the impression he tried to fling her off the porch. But instead he looked angered as nothing happened. Then, Isabel used her powers to swat him back to the bench to take a seat once again.
"I want to know about Kivar's crashed ship," Isabel repeated.
"Crashed," Nicholas taunted, "Who said it was crashed?"
"So it's fully operational," Isabel concluded, "the reports of a crash were just to make us, the government and anyone else think whatever touched down wasn't a threat."
Nicholas now looked a little nervous. "Hey, I didn't say that," he contested.
"You didn't have to," Isabel teased, enjoying the power she possessed over an enemy who previously tormented her. "Despite all that bravado, when you're in here, powerless like this, you're just a bratty, snotty, little boy. Now tell me about Kivar's plans."
"Why would I tell you anything about Kivar's plan?" Nicholas asked sourly.
Isabel used her powers to elevate Nicholas off the ground and pushed him up against one of the support beams holding up the porch. Out of nowhere, Isabel conjured up heavy, metalic chains and wrapped them around his body from his shoulders to his ankles.
"Because I'm not in the mood for games," Isabel said sternly, "and I have the ability to turn your little fantasy dream into a nightmare the likes of which you've never seen."
Isabel bluffed on that one. She already exerted more influence into a dream than she ever did before. She wasn't sure whether she could do more. Isabel tried to sound confident and hostile the way Nicholas or other enemies talked to her over the years. She hoped it didn't sounded as forced as it felt.
"Oh, you're going to torture me?" Nicholas asked tauntingly. "This should be good…"
Isabel realized Nicholas was right. His emotions ranged from turned on to disappointed to amused to annoyed, then back to amused again. Never once did Nicholas appear to feel intimidated by her. And while Isabel did possess toughness, she didn't have the stomach for torture.
That's when it occurred to Isabel that she didn't need those qualities because Nicholas could supply them. His mind could generate the torture. Isabel just needed to allow Nicholas to conjure up the circumstances needed for Isabel to learn what she needed to know.
Isabel thought back to her high school encounters with Nicholas. He never actually used physical pain to persuade someone to cough up information. Nicholas could penetrate someone's mind, scanning their memories for the information he desired. While an invasive and uncomfortable experience, it served as a quick and efficient way to extract information without requiring the victim to willingly surrender information.
Unlike Max, Isabel always suppressed any ability to send or receive flashes. It never appealed to her to see glimpses into Alex's mind or Jesse's. In fact, while Jesse became comfortable during their four years on the road with Isabel's physical abilities, she suspected he'd be freaked out if Isabel pulled flashes from him. She also felt no desire to share her own experiences.
Isabel remembered Nicholas could place his hand on someone's head just above the forehead and troll through their mind. She couldn't begin to know how to open his mind to receive a flash, let alone dig for specific information. However in a dream, neither of them were limited by the shackles of what was possible or impossible in the real world. Nicholas knew what to do, and Isabel hoped that all she needed to do was place her hand on his head and let his mind project the information he knew she wanted.
"Oh, Nicholas," Isabel said, attempting to sound menacing, "you make this look so easy. Let me see for myself."
Isabel began extending her hand toward his head. Nicholas tried to break free of his chains, but could barely wiggle at all.
"No," Nicholas protested, as he slammed his eyes closed and tried to move his head away. For the first time he seemed genuinely rattled.
Isabel placed her right hand on his head and turned it toward her. Nicholas continued to keep his eyes closed as he appeared to concentrate on resisting.
"I want to know what you and Kivar are up to," Isabel instructed him, still trying to sound villainous. "You know you can't resist."
Suddenly, everything but the front porch post, chains and Nicholas and Isabel changed. Isabel swiveled her head to take in their new surroundings. They were now observing another version of Nicholas in a small bedroom. This other version sported the bleached blond hair Max described. He held a small, blue crystal lit from the inside and strobing.
"Yes, Kivar," blond-haired Nicholas said, "I will bring you the boy so he can lead you to the Royal Four and then to the Granolith. I cherish the opportunity to return home and appreciate your gracious offer to bring me back in exchange for the boy."
Isabel pressed her hand more firmly against brown-haired Nicholas's forehead, though unsure if that could help in real life.
"I already know you tried to snatch Zan, and we stopped you," Isabel remarked with a hint of annoyance. "What are you planning now?"
Again, the scene surrounding them changed. Isabel surmised they were on Kivar's ship. Blond-haired Nicholas stood near an open doorway to the Texas grasslands with a ramp extending from the ship's perch down to the ground. Isabel and brown-haired Nicholas were positioned to the group's right, with the doorway exiting the ship on their right.
"Go," blond-haired Nicholas commanded them, "position yourselves around El Quarterlejo. It's imperative we keep eyes on Ava and Zan at all times and know immediately if any of the Royal Four arrive."
Behind Nicholas and the shapeshifted aliens, a spindly figure with an oversized head lurked in the shadows. Somehow Isabel knew it was Kivar, but the light from the open door prevented her from getting a good look at him. The light shone brightly on the shapeshifted aliens, which prevented Isabel from learning any of their faces. However, it occurred to her that they could constantly be assuming new identities once established in El Quartelejo. Kivar showed some sign of this, as he presented himself as Michael before shapeshifting into a more imposing figure once she exposed his deception.
"So you have eyes and ears everywhere," Isabel concluded, "but what about Kivar's next move?"
Their surroundings shifted yet again. Now Isabel witnessed Kivar's chambers. Blond-haired Nicholas stood before Kivar in the form of the husky black man that Isabel saw at Ava's house. Isabel and brown-haired Nicholas watched from the shadows outside the more brightly illuminated center of the room, where Kivar sat in a large, tall chair looking down on Nicholas.
"Fortunately for you," Kivar boomed, "I still have an idea that involves putting your talents to use."
"It's my honor to serve you, Your Majesty," Nicholas said humbly.
Isabel couldn't resist grinning at the sight of Nicholas showing his respect, his typical smugness completely washed away.
"If you fail me again," Kivar warned, "If you FAIL me again… FAIL ME… then I will see to it that you remain exiled on this planet until your husk dies, killing you along with it. For now, you may go. You will be called upon when needed."
Brown-haired Nicholas's emotions were palpable and Isabel could feel them all throughout the room. He feared failing and being exiled on Earth indefinitely. Isabel wondered if she could use that later, maybe even soon.
"So you're not so important that you were even trusted with the plan," Isabel sneered cruelly.
Isabel enjoyed witnessing a tormented Nicholas more than she thought she would or wanted to. Isabel felt Vilandra was the one who supplied the majority of the pleasure. She didn't want her dream walk to somehow allow Vilandra to take control, like she did on Isabel's honeymoon. Isabel tried not to let that frightening thought linger. Brown-haired Nicholas spoke helping prevent that worry from consuming her.
"Shut up," he said, squirming while his eyes remained firmly closed.
"Then tell me more," Isabel offered. "How can we spot someone who's a shapeshifter?"
Isabel took her attention off Nicholas and looked around her, expecting the scene to shift again. Instead the environment flickered like a hologram. A rattling of the chains around Nicholas brought Isabel's attention back to him. Something about the environment of Kivar's chambers emboldened Nicholas to resist cooperating and fight more. For the first time, Isabel sensed a slight loosening of the chains and began to wonder if Nicholas could possibly will his way out of them. She allowed herself to glance toward the background again, hoping it changed.
It didn't. Instead Nicholas's eyes shot open, staring angrily into hers. Isabel instinctively removed her hand from his forehead and took a step back.
"Enough," Nicholas shouted with rage.
Whether Nicholas woke up or managed to expel her from his mind somehow, the dream walk promptly ended.