Max and Ava made their way to the floor Nicholas claimed they held Zan on. While Max got the impression that Nicholas sincerely wanted to help Zan, he didn't believe he could fully trust his longtime nemesis. Max monitored their immediate surroundings carefully. He prepared himself to encounter other enemies, possibly many more if he and Ava got lured into a trap.
Ava also seemed tentative as they slowly walked around the arching floor, so Max could tell she also wanted to stay on alert. So far, they didn't encounter anyone else. Max figured that looking for the guarded doorway Nicholas told them about made the most sense, and they would need to react to any surprises along the way.
Max also wondered if anyone occupied the entire floor. He could only guess how many personnel the ship carried to Earth, and he knew some of them shapeshifted into human disguise to hide in plain sight all over El Quartelejo. Even though Max continued listening carefully for charging footsteps, it also occurred to him that a Nicholas deception could involve separating their unit. Maybe Nicholas thought he could defeat Michael and Isabel and planned to track down Max and Ava later on this barren part of the ship.
Just as his worries and doubts threatened to spiral on him, Max saw something out of the corner of his eye. He held his arm out signaling Ava to slow up. She quickly acknowledged she saw it too, and the two of them hugged the left wall, which was closer to the interior of the ship. Max instinctively crouched down to make it harder for the person standing near the doorway to notice them.
"He looks… human," Max observed with a soft whisper.
Max peered out slightly to spot a muscular looking white male. He appeared to stand a few inches over 6-feet and carried a strong build. He had dark brown hair combed straight back and wore a black turtle neck with black pants and shoes or boots.
"Maybe he shapeshifted for Zan's benefit," Ava guessed, also whispering, "in case he's gotta go in or Zan comes out."
"Maybe," Max agreed.
"So…" Ava sounded a little unsure of herself, "do we just pop out and assume we got this because there's two of us."
Ava started to rise out of her crouch, but Max reached out, grabbed her wrist and yanked her back down.
"Wait," Max said, "I have an idea. Hang back for a moment. I'll confront him. When you see my shield go up, try to slip around behind me and surprise him."
Ava nodded. They both inched back a little until the guard and the door were out of sight and then stood up.
Max walked around the curve toward the guard. As he did, he moved more toward the center of the corridor to ensure Ava could move behind him when the time came. He didn't know quite what to expect, such as whether or not the guard would say something.
It didn't take long to find out. As soon as the guard spotted Max he stepped forward and raised his hand without a word. Max almost didn't react in time given how abrupt the attack happened. Max shot up his hand and activated his shield just in time. The green from his shield added a little illumination to the dimly lit corridor. Max watched as an amber spot splashed against his shield but faded quickly. The guard aimed to throw him backward and didn't expect Max to wield a defensive maneuver.
As another amber spot began to form on his shield, Max glanced down and saw Ava executing an intelligent maneuver by athletically sliding on her hip around back of him. By staying low and sliding behind him, Ava stayed below the guard's eye level.
Max saw Ava spring to her feet like a baseball or softball player leaping to their feet after a popup slide into a base. He could see her extend her arm toward the guard. The amber spot quickly vanished from Max's shield. As Max let his shield dissipate, he saw Ava with her hand over the guard's heart. A white glow emanated around Ava's hand. Max could see her powers singed through the guard's shirt, and he winced in pain from Ava's attack.
A few seconds later the guard crumpled to the floor, his unconscious body sprawling across the base of the door. Ava looked up and made eye contact with Max. Without a word Max knew what each of them would do next.
This confrontation marked the first time just the two of them went into battle together and yet their chemistry struck Max as remarkably strong and natural. As Max looked into Ava's eyes, it felt like he almost witnessed a moment shared between King Zan and Queen Ava. The feeling faded quickly, but Max found it fitting somehow that only he and Ava splintered off to get to Zan. They were his parents after all. Max was clearly Zan's father, and Ava raised him as her adopted son while also being biologically identical to Zan's birth mom, Tess. Despite being brief, Max enjoyed sharing this moment of warmth, chemistry and satisfaction with Ava.
Ava dragged the guard's body back. Max stepped forward to wave his hand over the control panel and activate the door to open it. He stepped inside to find Zan sitting on a metal bench connected to the left side of the wall. Zan sat with his back against the left wall and his legs on the bench as he faced the right wall. The motion of the door opening caused Zan to swing his legs off the bench toward the door and slide forward so he sat facing the door and Max. Upon recognizing Max, Zan exhaled with relief.
"Dad?" Zan squeaked out, his voice wavering and cracking some.
Zan seemed both relieved and a little worried. Max figured that stemmed from not understanding how Max may react to how Zan made his choice to go with Nicholas to the ship. Max smiled at his son.
"It's ok," Max said, trying to sound confident and assuring, "we're here to get you out of here. You're safe now."
Zan still a looked a little overwhelmed. Then, his face lit up with a wide smile. Max quickly realized that Zan didn't make eye contact with him and directed his eyes to over Max's left shoulder. As Zan started standing up, Max glanced back to see that Ava made her way to the doorway and walked inside the room. Max stepped off to the right as Zan and Ava ran toward each other.
"Mom!" Zan exclaimed, still with relief in his voice but excitement now too.
Zan and Ava embraced. Max smiled as he watched, feeling a sense of victory. They did it. They got aboard the ship and got to Zan before anything happened to him. Whatever the Special Unit did to disable the ship's ability to hide in plain sight seemed to clear the path for them so that they could find their way to Zan with only needing to confront Nicholas and the one guard. And Max felt grateful for it. Even with the full Royal Four unit's newfound group combat abilities, Max didn't know if they could successfully fight an army of Kivar's soldiers.
"Mom," Zan told Ava, "I'm so sorry! I don't know what I was thinking. I…"
"It's ok," Ava interrupted, comforting him, "I'm here now, and it's all going to be ok."
"I promise to never run off with anyone like that ever again," Zan assured her.
"You better not," Ava said, "or I'll have to kill you."
Zan laughed a little at the joke. Max started to look beyond the heartfelt reunion and think about how they shouldn't linger in the area for too long. They needed to reunite with Michael and Isabel, who seemed interested in confronting Kivar. Max didn't agree. He preferred not to battle Kivar on his own ship, where Kivar would surely enjoy his greatest advantage.
"Let's get you out of here," Max said to Zan.
Ava agreed and broke off the hug.
"You think Michael and Isabel are still in the other room, or would they go after Kivar without us?" Ava asked.
"I'm not sure," Max admitted, "I hope they'd come for us first."
Max started heading for the door, which remained open this whole time. Ava and Zan followed. Then, Max heard something. He threw up his hand to signal to Ava and Zan to stop for a moment. Just as Max feared, he heard footsteps of at least two people approaching them. He listened carefully and could tell they ran by the sound it made.
"Get back," Max instructed.
Ava and Zan wrapped around to Max's left and took their place behind Max against the wall. Max stood in the doorway, peering around to his left to spot whoever sprinted toward them.
To Max's relief, he saw Isabel and Michael were the ones approaching them. He stepped outside and looked back toward Ava and Zan.
"It's ok," Max assured them.
Max, Ava and Zan stepped into the corridor and confronted Michael and Isabel.
"What happened to him?" Michael asked, referring to the fallen guard.
"He's hurt, badly," Ava replied, then looking toward Zan who seemed struck by the fallen solider. "I ain't a killer."
"Zan, are you all right?" Isabel asked.
"Yeah, I'll be ok," Zan told her.
"That's good," Michael said warmly, affectionately putting a hand on Zan's shoulder.
"Did Nicholas give you anything on Kivar?" Max asked Michael.
Michael hesitated and glanced awkwardly at Isabel.
"Nothing," Michael answered simply.
"Kivar was about to kill me," Zan shared, "but Nicky… I don't know. He sort of stuck up for me, but he also said they should use me to trick you all into exchanging the Granolith for my life. How could I be so stupid?"
"Oh, Zan," Ava said and hugged him again.
Max noticed something in Isabel's hair, drawing his curiosity to what happened with Michael and Isabel during their confrontation with Nicholas. He reached over and plucked what looked and felt like a very large flake of dandruff, one of a few he could see in his sister's hair.
"What's this?" Max asked.
Isabel looked uncomfortable. With their newfound psychic bond, Max could sense that her heart raced.
"Nicholas," Isabel replied.
Max didn't register it at first. "I don't underst…"
"He's dead," Michael interrupted.
"Nicky's dead?" Max heard Zan ask, sounding somewhat upset but a bit conflicted over Nicholas's treachery.
Max looked into Isabel's eyes.
"We didn't have a choice," Isabel explained curtly.
Max looked back at Michael who nodded solemnly to back her claim. Max sensed more to the story, but he also recognized now wasn't the best time to catch up on the full details.
"We should get off the ship before anyone—or everyone—realizes we're here," Max reasoned aloud. "Plus, we want to clear it before they recover so that the Special Unit can finish their attack."
"There are exit points on every level," Ava shared. "I recognize 'em."
"Lead the way," Michael directed.
Ava charged back the way her and Max came. Zan lined up right behind her, followed by Max, Isabel and Michael. After a few feet, Ava stopped, waved her hand over what seemed to Max like a random bulkhead on the exterior wall of the ship. Again, the swirly symbol appeared and Ava placed her hand on it. A doorway to the outside moved open and bright sunlight poured into the dimly hit hallway as a ramp to the ground extended downward. Everyone followed Ava down, and they began running toward the military's vehicles. Once in the open, they all fell into a line where they ran side-by-side instead of single file. Max liked that Zan became sandwiched between he and Ava. He wanted to keep Zan close after just getting him back.
As they approached the military vehicles, Max saw an officer standing between two Humvees waving them to join him behind the vehicles. Once Max ran several steps behind, he slowed up and started taking inventory to make sure everyone made it. Michael positioned himself right next to the male military officer in camo tactical gear.
"What's going on?" Michael asked.
"We need all of you to clear the perimeter," the officer replied.
Max heard some roaring in the distance that seemed to ramp up louder and louder. He realized that the bomber planes Samuelson told them about approached quickly.
"The attack," Isabel deduced, "it's starting now."
Max stepped forward some to get a look. He glanced over his shoulder and saw four fighter jets closing in. He heard a brief whistling sound as they released their armament. Then Max heard a sequence of thundering booms as dust kicked up all around the ship. For several seconds the thick dust completely obscured Kivar's ship from view. The roar of the airplanes engines now started to fade with the planes forging on after firing their weapons.
Next, Max heard a different kind of rumble mixed with a crashing, crackling sound. He tracked that the ground around the ship broke open like it would from an earthquake. The dust remained too thick to see the effect on the ship, but Max watched intently hoping the attack would at least partially bury Kivar's ship.
Once the dust finally settled, Max failed to spot the ship at all. In its place now towered a mound of loose looking dirt and chunks of Earth. Max's greatest hope looked true. The ship sank completely below the surface. He still didn't know if Kivar's ship could break free, but he imagined even if it could that it wouldn't happen instantly. The successful attack allowed them to get a head start on the next task at hand.
"It worked," Michael pointed out.
"Good," Ava emphatically added.
Zan hovered close to Ava and seemed speechless and in awe. Isabel looked distracted and Max sensed a preoccupation from her too. At some point, he knew he wanted to talk to her and Michael more about their deadly final confrontation with Nicholas.
With the scene much quieter now, the sound of tires on the grasslands dirt captured Max's attention. He turned to his left to see Serena's van and a Humvee joining the scene and pulling up to a stop a few yards from the rest of the lineup of military vehicles that Max and the others stood in the middle of.
"It's Liz and Serena," Max alerted the rest of the group, "they're back."
Max began walking briskly toward Serena's van and noticed the others fell in step behind him. As he got closer, he saw Liz exit the van's passenger side door and Serena come out of the driver's side door. Max and Liz ran toward each other, and he hugged her tightly.
"We did it, Liz," Max whispered to her, "we got Zan and Kivar's ship is buried."
Liz looked up from his arms with Zan, Ava, Isabel and Michael hovering a couple feet behind him.
"I can see that," Liz said, as Max spun around to face them and stood side-by-side with Liz. "I'm glad you're ok, Zan."
"Thanks," Zan responded, with a half-smile that Max suspected represented fatigue from fearing for his life for so long in the room Nicholas and Kivar stuck him in, not a lack of enthusiasm.
"It appears congratulations are in order," Samuelson called out behind them.
Max and Liz pivoted around and the others stepped up to join them. The whole group faced Samuelson now. Max noticed he flashed his measured but giddy smile at them. Samuelson's seemingly out of place mannerisms continued to leave Max with an unsettling sense of mystery. He felt like Samuelson was capable of anything.
"Yeah, it looks like we all got what we wanted," Michael noted, "so what now?"
"We'll make sure to secure the area as best we can and monitor the crash site," Samuelson responded. "Any of you are welcome to stay here or join me back at our base if you'd like to keep an eye on things."
"Actually, we have…" Max started and then paused a beat. His instinct told him to remain guarded and cautious about anything he shared with Samuelson. "…another situation to attend to—outside of this area."
"I see," Samuelson acknowledged, without a hint of whether that registered as good news, bad news, disinteresting or a concern. "You're free to drive off, of course. Consider not just the Special Unit, but the entire United States government, grateful for your assistance."
"Does that mean you won't chase us anymore?" Max asked.
"Surveil you," Samuelson corrected, "and no. While we've long considered you all not a probable threat, today's collaboration proves to us that we have no reason to be concerned with any of you, despite your abilities."
"What about Kyle?" Liz asked, "It sounds like you shouldn't need his ability to help track us anymore. Are you going to release his wife, Carmen and bring her back to him?"
"The call's already been made," Samuelson replied with a smile meant to reassure them, but it made Max feel like he was being swindled by a used car salesman instead.
Another agent hopped out of Samuelson's Humvee and handed him a tablet.
"We'll call Kyle and check in with him soon," Isabel said, trying to sound upbeat but also conveying an underlying threat of retaliation if Samuelson proved to be lying.
"I think you'll all be in good spirits when you do," Samuelson insisted, attempting to remove any doubts by flashing that unsuccessfully reassuring smile. He glanced back down at the tablet. "Now if you'll excuse me. I also have other matters to attend to."
Samuelson and the other agent walked back over to their Humvee and drove off toward the road. Max and the others shifted from lined up side-by-side to more of a circle formation to face each other. Max felt like he wanted to address so much, but he also knew that he ultimately wanted to press on fairly quickly to the Granolith Chamber. Max believed that they needed to capitalize on the opportunity to get a head start to Roswell in case Kivar's ship could eventually break free. He didn't know if the ship at full strength could zip there at unimaginable speed, and he could only hope that, even if Kivar and his forces managed to get the ship airborne, the damage from the Special Unit's attack would hinder the ship's speed.
"What about Kivar?" Liz asked. "Did you all battle him on the ship?"
"No," Michael answered, "and I don't think he's on the ship."
"Really?" Max questioned, not expecting to hear this.
"What makes you say that?" Isabel followed up.
"I don't know for sure," Michael admitted, "just a hunch. It seemed like Nicholas was in command, and I feel like Kivar would've made a move on us if he was there. I know I can't be sure, but I just don't get the sense that he's buried on that ship and out of our way."
"I hope you're wrong," Liz said.
"So now what?" Ava asked bluntly.
"We need to retrieve the Granolith," Max declared. He made eye contact with Serena. "Do you still intend to come with us?"
Serena smiled wittily, "I'm a part of this now."
"Oh, good," Liz remarked.
"Are you really expecting us to blast off with Larek back to Antar once we have it?" Isabel asked. "That's assuming it's still there."
"I know the thought seems surreal," Max replied.
"And heartbreaking," Liz added, standing to his right.
Max reached his arm out, put it around her waist and pulled her close to him to console her.
"Regardless of anything else, I think we're going to need to retrieve the Granolith," Max reasoned aloud. "We can't let ourselves get paralyzed by what might happen once we have it. I think we all know that nothing good can come from the Granolith falling into the wrong hands."
"So it's one step at a time, then," Michael offered.
"Exactly," Max acknowledged. He enjoyed being in sync with Michael.
"Yo, that's Zen," Ava said.
Ava made eye contact with Michael and the two exchanged a smile that almost broke out into laughter. Max didn't know what Ava's comment meant, but he liked seeing Michael warm up to her given everything going on. Max noticed that Liz, Isabel, Zan and Serena also appeared out of the loop to Ava and Michael's Zen reference.
"Ok, then," Max commanded with a sigh representing the gravity of finally taking possession of the mysterious Granolith and a potential return to Antar, "it's time to go home—home to Roswell."
The seven of them hopped into Serena's van and drove off to catch the road to Roswell.