Many of the characters within this story, and the universe they inhabit, are the intellectual property of Jason Katims Productions.

Roswell: Re-Imagined

Written by Horatio Jaxx

Chapter 46: Better Late

The night before Liz and Maria's revelations, Kyle took Tess home and then he started his trip back to the park where his friends were waiting. It was late and Tess's curfew did not allow for her to be away from her home past eleven in the evening. Jim Valenti was much more lenient with Kyle's hours. That was due in part because of his age and sex and in part because of the close friendship Jim had with the parents of several of Kyle's friends. Over the years the absence of a second parent gave Jim cause to lean on the assistance of his neighbors. It was not uncommon for Kyle to overnight at a friend's home. When Kyle reached sixteen years of age, the coordination of that practice was relegated to a phone call from son to father. Because of that, Jim and Kyle Valenti had no set hours for seeing each other. The only hard and fast rule between them on that subject was the maintenance of continuous communication. Each was required to keep the other informed about his comings and goings.

Kyle and his friends had no specific plan for that evening. It was the middle of the summer; school was out, and the day just past had been hotter than most. When Kyle arrived back at the park, he noted that some friends and acquaintances from his senior class, along with several juniors and sophomores along with several high school graduates from recent past years, had elected to take advantage of the sun's absence to play a game of football. Kyle quickly joined the contest and did so for the next hour and a half.

The game finally played out at a quarter past one at night. The players quickly began to disperse in all directions for their respective homes. Kyle, along with his closest friends, Scott Bristow, John Reinhart and Gary Krosskove, delayed their departure to lie in the grass and pant out their exhaustion. While in that configuration they passed the time by verbally exaggerating each other's foibles for the amusement of the group. For Kyle this moment was the cap to a very pleasant day for him, and it was the latest of many such pleasant days. Tess had become a central figure in his life. His happiness was suddenly dependent upon her being a part of his everyday existence. His time with friends and family were even more pleasurable because of her. The knowledge that he would soon be with her again kept his spirits high. And that engendered in him a desire to savior these moments that he valued with others.

Nearly three minutes into this interlude on the grass, John commented that Gary must have been eating popcorn before the game because he had butter all over his hands. That remark stirred everyone, but Gary, into laughter. Kyle was so amused by that criticism; he felt the need to close his eyes and let out a heave of breath as he relaxed into the moment. Gary chose to defend himself from the belittling at that moment. He countered with the accusation that Kyle's passes were a little off on that night. The remark drew laughs and howls from Scott and John, but Kyle barely gave it a notice. At that moment Kyle was engaged in a fascination for a strange sensation he was experiencing, and the longer he concentrated on it the more pronounced the sensation became. Several seconds into his study of the sensation, he came to the belief that he was experiencing someone else's thoughts.

Kyle sprang up into a sitting position with a start and looked about into the faces of his friends with a shocked expression.

"What's wrong?" Scott inquired as he sat up in turn.

Gary and John followed their lead and sat up as well. All three looked to Kyle for a reply to Scott's question.

"Nothing," Kyle reported after a second of hesitation.

Kyle quickly convinced himself that he had just experienced a freak trick of the mind that would likely never occur again. Scott, John and Gary dismissed his startled reaction as nothing of any importance and concluded that the interlude was over. The three of them climbed to their feet, one after the other. Kyle followed their lead and got up on his feet and started walking across the field with the others. Kyle was not interested in the jesting anymore. His mind was preoccupied with thoughts about the weird sensation he was experiencing. As the four of them slowly steered their way towards the parking lot, he lagged to give space to himself to ponder the echoes bouncing about in his head. The others, engrossed in their own joviality, paid no notice. That brief freedom from their attentions encouraged Kyle to try and duplicate the experience he just had. Kyle came to a stop, shut his eyes and focused his attention onto everything around him.

There was an, almost, immediate sensation that tickled and tantalized at the perimeter of Kyle's mind. The effect was fuzzy and devoid of any significance. It was something akin to a tactile awareness that existed only within his head. An instant later he noticed that he could sense things. There was the sensation of grass all around him. He could not see it, but in some way, within his mind, it was just as real as if he did. There were also three physiques walking away from him. He could not see them either, but they were just as real within his mind's eye. These quickly became a distraction to him. The tingling static that he was feeling at first was gone. He quickly pushed these other sensations away and latched on to the figure that first gave rise to that sensation, the one on the left. As he focused in on that figure, the tingling returned. He followed it with his concentration. In his mind, the tingling seemed to grow with graduating intensity. Shortly the fuzzy sensation began to clear away like a video of a dissipating fog being played in fast forward. He instinctively knew that he was effecting that change. Shortly into that he discovery, and very much to his surprise, he realized that he was experiencing someone else's thoughts.

An instant later it became clear to Kyle that he was experiencing Scott's thinking. To his shock, Scott's thoughts were playing out on the edge of his mind like a movie on an IMAX screen. In that instant he knew that Scott was worried about him, looking at him, reaching for him and thinking a question about him, what's wrong with him? Almost in that same instant, Kyle was awakened from his introspection by a sudden jerk. His eyes quickly opened wide with shock and found Scott standing directly in front of him with his hands clasped to his shoulders. In that same instant he heard him speak a question to him in an alarmed tone.

"What's wrong?"

Kyle hesitated for a second to gather his wits about him. And then he responded in an indecisive voice.

"Nothing, I-I was just trying to clear some ringing in my ears."

"What happened?" John spoke up boisterously. "Did you got hit a little too hard out there, Kyle?"

Gary gave this comment a loud laugh and a clap of his hands. Scott was still too concerned about Kyle to be amused.

"Hey man, you alright?" Scott questioned as he continued to give Kyle a studied look.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm alright," Kyle responded to Scott with an almost panicked expression as he backed away from him.

Scott noted this unusual behavior in Kyle and grew even more concerned about him. John and Gary also noticed his change and quickly took on serious expressions.

"Whoa man, you look like you saw a ghost." Gary commented a second later.

"I'm alright," Kyle adamantly asserted with a tinge of anger.

Scott, John and Gary quickly backed away from their concern in reaction to this response. They all knew at that moment that Kyle was not going to express what was bothering him and that continued questioning was only going to anger him more. The three of them returned to their trek for the parking lot. Kyle followed their lead several steps behind.

Despite his claim to the contrary, Kyle was worried that he was not alright. The sudden onset of this ability to experience the thoughts of others was a shock, but that was only a minor event compared to the sudden sensation of panic that he was feeling. For some reason that he did not understand, he knew he had to hide this ability. A near phobic regard for his associations with others welled up within him. His mind was nearly overrun with worry about what was happening to him. The leading answer to that inquiry was that he had ingested some form of hallucinogen but when and where was unknown to him. Even as he wrestled with that idea, he could not dissuade himself from belief that he heard Scott's thoughts. And the fear within him piqued every time he came back to that realization.

"Am I riding with you?" Scott questioned Kyle with a concerned look.

That was not a question that Scott would usually ask. It was the accepted practice between the four of them that John would ride in Gary's car, and Scott would ride with Kyle. However, Scott was reluctant to make that assumption at this moment. That was due in part because he arrived at the park with John in Gary's car. Kyle's date with Tess had made his usual transport unavailable. The second half of that reason was Kyle's mood. Scott knew that something was disturbing him, and he thought it best to ask rather than assume.

"No," Kyle quickly responded to Scott's inquiry.

Kyle nervously hesitated to find a suitable excuse for that answer. After a second of thought he rifled out and addendum to his reply.

"I have to hurry home."

Scott accepted that answer without question, even though he did not believe it. He simply felt that he had no recourse. Confused by Kyle's behavior and a little concerned about his wellbeing, Scott, John and Gary left for home in the latter's car. Kyle watched them drive away. A minute later Kyle drove off alone.

Kyle had too much on his mind to sleep. The question about what was happening within him, and the fear it was creating, was causing too much turmoil within him. He suspected his father was asleep by this hour and would likely not awaken until early the next morning, so long as he did not disturb him. He was reluctant to go home for that reason. The last thing he wanted to deal with was questions about his state of mind. To avoid that event, Kyle steered his car away from home. Fifteen minutes later he rolled to a stop on a desolate stretch of road west of Roswell, off U.S. Highway 70. He told himself that he would spend thirty minutes to an hour here trying to calm his fear. If he was under the effects of a hallucinogen, then he expected his time there would dissipate its effect. He fell asleep an hour later and was awakened by the ringtone of his cellphone at sunrise the next morning.

"I'm sorry, Dad," Kyle earnestly apologized to his father through the phone. "I fell asleep over Scott's place. But I'll be home when you get back from work."

Jim Valenti accepted this explanation for his son's overnight absence with little displeasure. He expected that answer would likely be the reason why he was not at home. He admonished his son for not calling and instructed him to do so in the future. He then bid him a good day and hung up the phone.

The sight of the morning sun starting its assent over the eastern horizon caught Kyle by surprise. He was still half asleep from his partial night's rest when he took his father's call. What he wanted to do at that moment was return home to his bed, but he knew that the lie he told his father excluded him from doing this for at least another hour. So instead, he inclined back into his car seat and fell asleep again.

Three hours later Kyle was awakened once again by his cellphone's ringtone. It took him several seconds to awaken enough to check the caller ID and note that Tess had made the call. He had, up until that moment, given no thought to her. The shock of what happened after the football game, during the night just passed, had all his thoughts fixed on that. It was only at this moment that he began to weigh her into this new situation. And these thoughts began generating an acute sensation of fear.

Kyle sat up in his car seat and stared at his phone as he examined his relationship with Tess in earnest. The thought of being in a close relationship with anyone was causing him to tense up, and the sudden realization that he was in one already had him panicked. The alarm that generated fully awaken him. He took another minute to ponder what he should do before electing to hear the voicemail that Tess had left.

"Hey, good morning, I'm awake so give me a call when you hear this message."

Kyle's unease grew with the hearing of that message. He knew that he and Tess were supposed to spend the day together. He had promised to call her that morning and discuss the particulars of that plan. At this moment he knew that he was too unsettled to make the call, let alone spend the day with her. Despite that fear, he could not imagine being without Tess. He argued with himself that his fear was irrational. However, despite all his efforts he could not shake off the sensation of terror he was feeling. After nearly an hour of debate with himself, Kyle got out of his car and set off for a ridge of rock that was situated fifteen feet up from a wide expanse of desert wilderness. As he watched the shadows slowly shift along the landscape, he continued his deliberation.

By the time that Tess had finished leaving her fourth message on his cellphone; Kyle had spent all that morning and three hours of the afternoon struggling with his thoughts. Her last message was left only two minutes earlier by that time. Kyle had not listened to any of them since hearing the first. He knew that she was calling to find out where he was and what he was doing. These were questions that he did not want to answer, at least not until he knew how he would proceed. By this time, he felt the time for deliberating was over, and he decided to force himself to accept what he felt compelled to do. There was no rhyme or reason to it. There was no rational that supported his decision. He could not think of one good reason to break up with Tess. But something inside of him conflicted with any other option. Once he had committed himself to that action, Kyle took up his cellphone and started listening to her messages.

Tess's messages were as he expected. One after the other, with increasing concern, she inquired about where he was and if anything was wrong. The theme ran true through the first three messages, but when he listened to the fourth and last one, he was shocked by what he heard.

"Kyle, I know you're experiencing something that you don't understand. And I know it frightens you. You're experiencing strange sensations … and you're … hearing thoughts that are not yours. Kyle, you have to call me. Let me come to you. I'll explain everything … it's alright … everything is going to be okay."

How could she know that, was the first thought that came to Kyle? His mind leapt from there to thoughts that something she gave him, some food that he ate, was responsible for his condition. He rummaged through his memories of all that they did the day before, searching for the answer. After several seconds of this, he brought his phone up and dialed out to Tess.

"What's happening to me? What did you do?" Kyle questioned in an almost desperate tone.

"Kyle, where are you?" Tess questioned in a compassionate voice.

"What did you do, Tess?" Kyle questioned back in an almost demanding tone.

"Let me come to you, Kyle, please," Tess implored loudly. "I can explain everything when we're together."

Kyle took a few seconds to consider the request and then he responded to it in the manner that he thought best for the situation.

"I'll come and pick you up," Kyle nearly whispered in a submissive tone.

"No," Tess quickly countered. "I'm not at home. I need to come to you."

Kyle was a little confused by that response, the tone more so than the words. After a second of thought, he responded with a question.

"Where are you?"

An instant after making that request, Tess resubmitted her insistence on coming to him in a sterner voice.

"You can't get to me, Tess," Kyle explained with a bewildered inflection. "I'm parked on the side of Lookout Road, a couple of blocks south of the seventy."

"I'll be right there," Tess instantly responded and a second before disconnecting the call.

Kyle had no idea how Tess planned to get to him. His best guess was that she had access to her father's car, or even more likely Julie's. And he did not understand her need to come to him. He thought it more practical the other way around. His present location seemed too desolate for a meeting between them. Nonetheless, she was on her way, and he could do nothing at this point but wait.

Nearly twenty minutes later, Kyle heard the rumble of several cars approaching. He stood up from his seat on the edge of the ridge and looked north towards the highway. In the distance he could see the dust cloud that the vehicles were churning up in their wake. He pondered the possibility that Tess might be in one of the vehicles, but the fact that these vehicles were approaching in such a tight group gave him reason to dismiss that as a possibility. He thought it was more likely that this was a party of people who were out there for a reason that had no connection to him. He was just about to accept that premise and turn away when he felt a sensation that took his breath away.

Kyle maintained a fixed stare on the vehicles as they approached with a mixture of wonder and fear. The sensation was growing with their approach, and that convinced Kyle that the occupants were there because of him. He recognized Max Evan's jeep, but the other two vehicles were foreign to him. When the vehicles parked near his and their occupants got out, he began detecting twelve separate origins for the charged atmosphere that was engulfing him. His eyes first latched on to the sight of Tess climbing out of the jeep. Several seconds later his eyes darted back and forth across the faces of the company she was with. He could think of nothing to say or to do as they approached. He suspected that the answer that he had been looking for all night was about to become known to him. But his supposition was further away from that answer than he had been at any time in the past.

Tess and her company of eleven others, some he knew, others he did not, walked towards him at an unhurried pace. Shortly they came to a stop at a distance no more than ten feet from him. Kyle stared at them in silence as he waited on someone to speak, and then Tess spoke to him in his thoughts.

It's alright, Kyle, it's me, Tess. You're with friends. We're just like you.

Kyle suddenly brought his hands up by his head. A mixture of shock and terror was grimaced across his face.

"How did you do that?" Kyle screamed back at Tess with a wide-eyed look.

You can do it too. Tess responded in his thoughts.

"Did you do that?" Kyle inquired of Tess with a look.

Tess responded in the affirmative with a nod of her head.

We all can. Max projected a second later.

Kyle quickly looked to Max in response to the new thought message. The feel of it was no different than Tess's. But he could sense that it originated from where he was standing. He took a couple of seconds to stare into Max's eyes. And then he looked about him at all the eyes staring back at him. A dozen seconds later he asked the question that he most wanted an answer to.

"What's happening to me?"

It'll be quicker if we show you. Max projected behind this question.

Max knew that there were others within the group who were not fully up to speed on all that was happening to them, and around them. To save time with explanations, he thought it best if they simply merged their minds into one. He knew the process would instantly bring the newcomers up to par with the original seven. He looked about him for any dissent in that idea. He saw a couple of faint signs of reluctance, but the original seven were in agreement. At the end of this silent poll, Max began projecting his thoughts out to the group.

We need to merge our minds into one. We've done this before. This is the quickest way to explain to everyone all that we know. To do this you will need to silence your thoughts and permit the minds around you to blend in with your own. It will feel unusual in the beginning. But once the connection is made, that will go away. After we have done this, we will all know as much as there is to know.

A second after projecting that message Max closed his eyes and began the process of merging his mind with those around him. The remainder of the original seven quickly followed his lead. The remaining six followed their lead. Shortly after that, the group began relaxing into long deep breathes. Their breathing began to synchronize into a single rhythm. A few seconds later the auras of their minds were merged into a single collective consciousness.

All thirteen of them stood atop the ridge, with their eyes closed, for more than seven minutes. For the whole of that time their individual identities were gone. A new aggregate self, that was invisible to the eye, formulated into existence among them. The collective memories of all spilled into that new identity. The experiences, the feelings, the understandings and the knowledge of any one of them became the property of all. Over the course of that time, their collective mind touched upon things more than fifty miles distant in all directions. The size and scope of their combined auras was nearly twenty times greater when there were only seven of them. When they finally dismantled the merge, the thirteen of them looked upon one-another for the first time, without the existence of an unanswered question between them.