Liz stepped out of the van first once they arrived at Northwest Texas Community College. She knew she needed to make the call. The group all walked over toward the payphone, but everyone hung back as Liz reached the payphone and pulled the scrap of paper from Agent Samuelson's legal pad out of her pocket to make the call. Her hands trembled slightly as she dialed the number, more from anticipation than nerves.
It didn't ring long before someone answered.
"Yes?" a male voice asked. Liz didn't recognize the voice but could tell it wasn't Samuelson.
"I'm calling because…" Liz stretched the word a bit and paused because didn't know what she should say.
"We know who you are, Ms. Evans," the voice stated quickly and matter-of-factly.
"Oh," Liz reacted, "I actually thought I would be connecting with Agent Samuelson."
The voice on the other end of the line didn't immediately react. Liz turned back toward the group and gave Max a look to convey the awkwardness of the conversation so far. Max took a step forward, so did Michael right beside him. Liz and Max continued to make eye contact and she nodded slightly to signal to him to let her finish the call. Max reached his arm out to block Michael from walking right up to the phone and then they both stepped back with Isabel, Ava and Serena.
It occurred to Liz that the operator she spoke with may not want to mention Samuelson. Such a secretive approach would fit an organization like the Special Unit. She also wondered if they worried about the phone line not being secure.
"The only reason to call this number is because you're going to accept our offer," the voice declared definitively, though still speaking in a rapid deadpan.
"Yes," Liz confirmed, "that's true."
"Then come back to our base," the man instructed. "You will be permitted access."
"Do I need to come alone or anyth-" Liz stopped talking in mid-sentence when she heard the dial tone and recognized the call ended.
She turned back toward Max and the others, "I guess not."
The group now did inch closer and surround Liz and the payphone.
"Did they give you anything?" Michael asked.
"Yes," Liz replied, "they said we should go back to the base and that we'll have access."
"Of course they did," Michael remarked pessimistically.
"Michael, not now," Isabel reprimanded.
"Ok," Max said thoughtfully, "Liz, Isabel, Serena and I will go inside to meet with them. Michael, you should stay back with Ava in case we need her powers to shut down their defenses again. We need to be cautious just in case they're up to something."
"Yeah," Michael agreed, "I like that."
"This should be interesting," Serena threw out there as the group once again stepped into her van.
On the relatively short drive from the campus to the Special Unit base, no conversations broke out. Liz wondered who would meet them upon entering the base. She worried that another lead agent might not treat them as the necessary ally that Samuelson seemed to understand they were. Therefore Liz hoped Samuelson would greet them himself.
Liz loved Max's idea to keep Ava and Michael outside the base. His point about Ava's powers being of use totally made sense. From what they shared with Liz about how it worked, Ava's focus to use her power left her vulnerable, so someone needed to stay with her. Liz pegged Michael as most likely to come off as adversarial, so she believed that made Michael the perfect choice to protect Ava.
Meanwhile for their group, Liz and Serena seemed most open-minded and creative about working with the Special Unit. Liz recognized that Max also wanted to hear them out. She figured Isabel's may feel similarly as Max, but she thought Isabel primarily could provide extra muscle in case cooperation proved not possible. Liz hoped it wouldn't come to that.
Unlike the previous night, they parked the van about a quarter mile away from the building housing the underground Special Unit base. They all stepped out of the van.
Max shared a strategy, "Ava, if you don't get a signal from us after 15 minutes, you need to disable the base's power. And Michael, you'll need to come for us."
Everyone silently acknowledged their understanding of Max's plan. By this time, Serena and Isabel both exchanged phone numbers with Ava, so either could call or text to signal that the group inside the base remained safe. Liz thought Max continued to strategize the best course of action.
The group entered the building and made their way to the stairwell. At the bottom, the security door to the main base looked repaired, though Liz noticed some scarring on the metal from when Michael and Isabel fused the door shut the night before. As they approached the door, they heard a beep of approval and the door slowly swung open.
Max led the way, with Liz just behind him, followed by Serena and Isabel. Hannah greeted them, wearing official Special Unit attire in a plain black suit with a white dress shirt underneath. The top button of her shirt was undone and she didn't wear a tie like so many of the male agents.
Despite recognizing Hannah, the familiar face didn't put Liz at ease. After being legitimately fooled by her undercover persona, Liz couldn't easily take to working with her.
"Welcome to the Special Unit," Hannah greeted them, her voice professional and cordial, not sincerely pleased to see them. Liz once again took note of her missing thick, southern accent.
"Hi Hannah," Liz tentatively greeted her back, "um, we were expecting to see Agent Samuelson."
"He's a busy man, Liz," Hannah explained. "Now if you'll all come with me."
Liz exchanged a tentative look with Max. It all felt a little too non-descript. Hannah's body language didn't match her words of welcome, and Liz sensed Max, Isabel and Serena shared her reluctance to go bounding deeper into the base with the young agent just like that.
"We're not going anywhere until you tell us more," Max demanded. "Where's Samuelson? He's the one we came to talk to. And where are you taking us?"
Hannah, who already turned to lead them into the base, took a deep breath with her back still toward them and then turned around. She looked impatient. Liz saw no evidence of the friendly warmth of the young girl manning the old fashioned ice cream stand.
"I'm taking you to the base's central command center," Hannah explained. "Agent Samuelson is there and will speak to."
Liz quickly made eye contact with Max, Serena and Isabel. They all seemed to share her satisfaction with this answer.
Hannah looked at Liz, "Satisfied?"
"Yes," Liz replied curtly, "thanks for outlining that for us. Let's go."
As they walked toward the command center, Liz considered the cause of Hannah's lack of enthusiasm. Surely she would act differently outside the persona of her undercover character. Liz thought that while the contrast of the sweet southern girl against the professional agent could explain it, that didn't sit right.
Hannah very much came off as an agent following orders that she possibly didn't agree with. Liz could understand if not every agent at the Special Unit supported Samuelson's plan to collaborate. In fact, Hannah's professional yet not pleased demeanor matched the tone of the phone operator that picked up when Liz dialed the number Samuelson gave her. The notion of differing opinions within the Special Unit's ranks sewed some seeds of doubt about pursuing this temporary alliance. While it made sense not everyone would endorse the plan—Michael supported but still didn't agree with it on their end—Liz found the prospect of working with some of Samuelson's agents who don't full support his order unsettling.
Stepping into the Special Unit command center, Liz noted on the far wall of the room a wall of built-in monitors and a counter beneath it with agents sitting at various workstations spaced several feet apart. The gap between workstations in the middle of the wall of screens was larger than the outer thirds. Between the screens and the door they entered was a conference table with what looked close to a dozen chairs.
Liz spotted Samuelson standing toward the middle of the wall of screens. He heard the door open and turned to spot them. He smiled warmly.
"Ah, Ms. Evans, nice to see you again," Samuelson said. "I'm glad all of you could make it."
Max experienced Liz's vivid memories of Samuelson's unexpected demeanor. Of the remaining group, Isabel seemed most taken by surprise. She looked over at Liz in near disbelief and Liz shot back a look to assure her that, yes, this is how Samuelson treats them.
"Please, take a seat," Samuelson instructed as he gestured toward the conference table.
They all took seats with Samuelson occupying the chair at the head of the table. Liz sat closest to him on his right, followed by Max. Serena sat closest to his left and across from Liz, with Isabel beside her and across from Max. Hannah stood beside Samuelson after they took their seats.
"Thank you," Samuelson said to her and she promptly left the room.
"She hates going undercover," Samuelson offered to Liz. "She doesn't mind the assignments themselves, but, when it's over, it's breaking her cover that gets to her. She feels it's a betrayal. And it's especially hard on her to have to engage with the people that she got to know while undercover."
Liz appreciated the information. Now she believed Hannah's sternness reflected her feelings of betrayal. Her body language fit someone concerned that Liz hated her as much as it did someone disagreeing with her orders. Both scenarios meant Hannah wouldn't want to greet them. The insight alleviated some of Liz's concerns that other agents at the Special Unit who opposed Samuelson's offer would prove difficult to work with.
"Let's get down to it, shall we," Max said.
At first, Liz felt a little off guard with Max pressing to get started, but then she remembered that he surely wanted to get Zan back and felt some of the same desperate urgency Ava did. Liz also wanted to get Zan back, but she also felt the need to approach the conversation with Samuelson and anyone else at the Special Unit delicately. Max pressed, but he didn't come across as impatient or angry. Instead he spoke the line with eager enthusiasm.
"What do you have in mind, Mr. Evans," Samuelson invited Max to continue.
"We need to get aboard the ship," Max explained. "They're keeping someone onboard that we need to help."
"I see," Samuelson noted.
It seemed like this was one of the few pieces of information Samuelson heard from her and now Max that he didn't already know.
"We might be in for a fight once we board the ship," Isabel remarked.
"Which is why we don't want to fight through the military to get to it," Liz added.
Samuelson flashed that slight, giddy smile at them, "That's no problem. I can make sure they let you right through."
"Do you know the ship's precise location?" Serena asked.
Samuelson's giddy smile faded, replaced by a look of disappointment.
"No," he admitted, "we haven't determined that yet, though we've narrowed it down. We have EMP grenades we can drop into the area. Our scientists believe that will at least disable whatever is visually masking the ship."
Liz knew EMP stands for electro-magnetic pulse. That would work similar to Ava's powers, but they didn't really know if Ava's ability could work on the ship. And they couldn't get close without the military standing aside for them.
"Why haven't you done this already?" Max asked.
"Because we were afraid of what they would do once their ship was exposed," Samuelson said simply.
"I don't blame you," Serena said.
"But you're willing to use these grenades now," Isabel fished for details, "why?"
"Because if you all board the ship shortly after we can all see it, we expect they'll have their hands full for a bit," Samuelson said.
"And then what?" Max asked.
"Once we can identify the ship, we plan to order an airstrike and attack the area surrounding the ship," Samuelson offered. "We don't presume our weapons will damage the craft directly, but if we can bury it into the earth, they might not be able to get out. We like our chances with a ground assault not aided by their ship."
Liz felt this made some degree of sense. From the Special Unit's perspective, the Royal Four could serve almost as their backup. If they put aircraft anywhere near the ship, it might shoot them down before they could time up EMP grenades and then take the time to target the area around the ship.
"Of course, we'll wait for you to exit the ship before ordering the air strike," Samuelson added.
"How can we be sure of that?" Max asked.
Samuelson paused a beat as if he considered his reply before giving it.
"You can leave some of your team here with us in the command center," Samuelson suggested. "You'll be able to monitor everything we're doing."
"That doesn't mean we can stop you from burying the ship," Isabel pointed out.
"True," Samuelson said. He sounded prideful at the notion that the Special Unit could overcome some of their resistance. "But it wouldn't be wise of us to—pardon the term—alienate both your side and those on the ship."
That line led to silence as Liz and presumably the others contemplated what Samuelson proposed and his rationale for why they might choose to trust him.
Serena broke the silence, "That makes sense."
Max looked down at the table and immediately over at Liz. She understood that he couldn't trust Serena's judgement alone. Liz noticed how Serena, Isabel and Samuelson also directed their attention to her.
Liz didn't let this rush her thought process. They would never trust the Special Unit with absolute certainty, so Liz relied on her reasoning skills to think through the most plausible scenario. If the Special Unit planned to betray them, it didn't make sense for them to seemingly let Max and the others retrieve Liz and invite her back, only to poke the bear of Kivar's ship and turn on them all at once. While Liz wanted to believe Samuelson intended for the sides to peacefully part company when the showdown with Kivar concluded, she believed that any turnaround and attempt to capture or fight with her family would occur only after Kivar and his forces were safely defeated. Liz figured Serena likely reasoned the same thing.
"I agree," Liz decided and voiced her support for Serena's reasoning and Samuelson's plan.
"Ok, then, how should we proceed?" Max asked, sounding slightly tentative but Liz could also tell he would see it through.
"Let's get your team in position to storm the ship right away," Samuelson suggested.
"Just like that?" Max asked again, this time seemingly a bit thrown by the simple, straightforward plan. Liz felt the same way.
"How much longer do any of us want to sit back and wait for their side to make an aggressive move?" Samuelson pitched. "The longer we all stay in the shadows, the more likely we are to see them do something none of us are prepared to defend."
"I think he's right," Isabel offered.
Isabel typically didn't rush into battles or conflicts, but, when she did want to, Liz knew it carried weight with Max. Liz noticed that Isabel seemed anxious to engage with Kivar ever since she arrived in El Quartelejo so her stance here appeared consistent with her motivations. Liz didn't dare object to her statement, though. In fact, Liz believed that the more time Zan spent on the ship, the more trouble he was in—whether he was being coerced into helping Kivar and Nicholas or tortured for information by them.
Max turned his attention toward Samuelson. "Give the four of us a minute?"
Samuelson simply nodded and then stood up and walked over toward the screens. Max leaned in toward Isabel and Serena.
"So we're all sure about this?" he asked.
Liz and the others exchanged looks with Max to assure him that that they were.
"Ok, then," Max said with a deep breath, "how do we want to divide up?"
"Serena and I should stay here," Liz suggested.
"Really?" Max pushed back some, "but neither of you have powers. You'd be… defenseless."
"But I think we're going to need all of us hybrids on the ship," Isabel argued.
Serena added, "Besides, you'd need Ava to stay off the ship to really have a solid defense against the Special Unit—and good luck convincing her not to go after Zan."
"I have faith that you can come for us if anything happens after you leave the ship," Liz told Max.
"I just got you back, Liz," Max stated with loving concern, "I don't know how I feel about splitting up again."
Liz took his hand.
"I know," she said tenderly, "but we have to be strong, Max. We have to be strong, and we have to help your son."
Liz could see it in Max's eyes that this line gave him the strength and conviction he needed to forge ahead with a plan that definitely ranked high in the risks and leaps-of-faith categories. Liz knew that if the Royal Four died trying to rescue Zan, then Liz would be at the mercy of the Special Unit. And if they didn't imprison or kill her, then she would still need to mourn her family. But she also knew that none of them could live with themselves by turning back now.