Thank you to all those who read and have liked the story

Thanks for those who reviewed. This is my first chapter with a lot of action. I hope it came out well. Please review so I can have some feedback.

Anyways, have fun reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own Roswell or Stargate therefore whatever you recognize from the shows is theirs' while the rest is mine.

Chapter 2

The Grand Forks Herald

This morning nurse Christine Hatchet walked in the children's ward of Altru Hospital to find all the children out of bed singing and playing games. These were all children who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness. "I don't understand it, it's a miracle. Last night all these children went to bed sick and with hardly any energy to move and today they're as healthy as any other child." Doctors are baffled over the mysterious recovery displayed by the children. Only one of them was undergoing an experimental treatment and he wasn't responding to it. The only significant sign that was found on the children was a silver handprint on their chests. The children will be released tomorrow after spending a night in observation.

Readers may remember the story on Christmas a year and a half ago where a similar handprint was discovered on the children of a Phoenix Hospital who were also miraculously healed. A mother had dubbed the remarkable sign, the hand of the Christmas Angel. The mark had faded away after a few days. After a year and a half, those kids are still healthy. It looks like this time; the Angel decided to not wait until Christmas for this miracle.

June 17, 2002, 0700 PM

At 6:00 pm a motel owner called the FBI hotline. He reported that six teens matching the description of the wanted flyers that had been handed out in the region were renting two rooms for the night. He described the teens in detail, along with the make and model of their vehicle. The color of the vehicle and the license plate were all wrong but the rest matched what was on file. After inquiring about the reward, he was told to not alert them and barricade himself in his office. The operator immediately alerted his supervisor of a highly likely sighting of the teens. The supervisor contacted the joint Air Force-FBI Taskforce involved in the manhunt for them. Meanwhile an NID Agent in the hotline center discreetly went outside to make a phone call. The Committee is immediately informed of the find. Senator Kinsey along with other influential members of the government all meet at a warehouse outside of Washington DC to watch the tactical feed from the scene. They hope that tonight another threat to Earth gets taken out and that maybe they'll be able to learn some of their secrets. This Roswell group has been operating with impunity on American soil for too long.

The reformed Special Unit Tactical Team boarded two McDonnell Douglas MD 530F helicopters with orders to retrieve one or two subjects if possible and to take out the rest. They had taken some special darts coated with the alien incapacitating agent with them for that occasion. Special Agent John Morden would be in overall command. At the same time, Air Force MPs left an Air Force base in two HH-60G Pave Hawk Helicopters with orders to secure the perimeter and contain any threat that escapes. At 7:00 pm, both parties arrived in a field one mile from the target area. The MPs immediately started posting guards and closing off the roads with checkpoints and securing the whole area. The FBI moved in and after doing a reconnaissance of the site, set up their men so that they would remain invisible but could breach both hotel rooms at the same time, while still covering all exits. Meanwhile two sniper teams were set up in the forest in front of both rooms. They were told to shoot to kill anyone who tries to escape from both rooms. They had confirmed that two targets were inside through the open drapes in one of the rooms. After reviewing the tactical situation Special Agent Morden gives the order to breach at 7:30 pm. Two teams of four men would enter each room to neutralize the occupants. One member of each team had a tranquilizer gun with darts filled with the alien neutralizing agent.

The Roswell six were all in two connecting rooms in a motel 100 miles outside of Roswell in Clovis, New Mexico. Tomorrow they are planning on a lightning quick entry into Roswell to get the Orbs and get out but for now everyone was relaxing for the evening. Maria was playing the guitar with Max and Liz on a couch nearby. Isabel was reading a fashion magazine they had picked at a gas station. Michael and Kyle were in the other room arguing over a hockey game on TV. Liz reaches over Max to grab a glass of water and touches him. She suddenly goes into a trance. They all know what it means; she's having flashes of the future. The good mood is instantly broken and Max, Maria and Isabel wait anxiously for Liz to come out of it.

Liz: "Oh Max… The FBI, they're here. They had us surrounded; there was smoke everywhere and red laser beams going through the room. Michael and Kyle were on the floor dead. You were being taken again along with Isabel and I couldn't see what was happening with the rest of us. Oh Max …"

Max takes Liz into his arms and tries to soothe her as best he can. When she's calmed down sufficiently he can start asking pertinent questions to find out all the details. Michael and Kyle immediately come running into the room after hearing the word FBI from a hysterical Liz. Michael looks ready for action, alien energy just simmering below the surface and Kyle has already taken out his father's 9x19mm semi-automatic Glock pistol. Michael immediately turns to Max, pushing for action.

Michael: "So Max what are we doing? What's the plan?"

Max: "Hold on Michael. Liz can you try and remember the scene, see if you saw the time, maybe on the alarm clock or one of our watches?"

Liz after calming down, panics a little at going back to look at that horrible scene again. She tightens her hold on Max and starts reliving the scene trying to spot details she missed before. She starts speaking with her eyes closed.

Liz: "Michael and Kyle, you were both gunned down by sniper rifle from outside the room. The game you were watching was still on. I see the alarm clock, it is 7:30 pm. Max and Isabel you both have darts sticking out of your necks. I still can't see Maria and myself."

Michael looks a bit guilty that the drapes to their room are still open. Max ignores him and looks at the clock and sees its 7:20 pm. They have 10 minutes before they fight. It's time to act the leader part.

Max: "Alright they probably have all the exits covered by now, that means we'll have to make our own. Everyone grab your bags, thankfully we didn't have time to unpack them. Don't forget to put on your bulletproof vests too."

Thankfully, on Kyle's advice, while discussing protection from bullets one night, they had all stolen bulletproof vests from the trunks of a few cop cars along with a few guns and ammunition. For the humans of the group it would be useful for them to have some sort of protection and for the aliens it would make a good backup weapon if they were ever incapacitated with the Special Unit drug cocktail. Max is thankful for all of Kyle's help, from knowing where to find the Kevlar vests to training everyone to use a gun. After everyone is ready to go, Max tells them the plan.

Max: "Isabel, Michael start making us a hole through the rooms until you reach the end of the motel. Knock out anyone who gives you any trouble. Maria and Liz you guys follow them. Kyle, you can take up the rear. I'm going to be going through the front door and taking back our van, I'll meet you when you're at the end of the motel."

At this last remark, they all explode on why this is a bad idea. All their arguments are all a variation of the same theme, that he's not strong enough to take them all out. Only Liz is confident in her husband's abilities but she still looks a bit worried. After giving Liz a reassuring look, Max starts to explain itself.

Max: "You can all relax; I'm not planning on taking on all of them. With all the training I've been doing with the Granilith, I could probably take on all of them but now is not the time. This time though, I have two objectives. One is for it to be a diversion so you have time to reach the end of the motel. Two is to have a psychological impact as well. I don't know if all the soldiers and agents out there know the truth about us, but even if they do, hearing about an alien with superpowers and seeing one are two very different things. I think it's time they started fearing us. We are dangerous when provoked. I'll try not to kill any of them, some of them might be innocent but I will defend myself. Anyways, I'm the only one with enough training to get to the van."

Everyone seems convinced once they remember the demonstration of his powers from a few days ago. They're also impressed with this new attitude from Max. He's acting the leader part very well. Michael is about to object again but Maria hits him in his ribs.

Maria: "Shut it Spaceboy. You're coming with us. Once you've trained you can play alien super soldier all you want."

Everyone laughs at that last remark and the tension of the last few minutes dissipates. It is 7:28 pm. Max gives the signal and Isabel and Michael start dissolving a part of the wall large enough for them to fit through. Once the wall is down, Michael goes in first and sees that the room is empty. After checking the bathroom is as well, he motions for everyone to enter the room. While Isabel starts on the second wall, Michael and Kyle move the dresser in front of the hole they just made. It'll hopefully take them a bit more time for the FBI to follow them.

Max waits until everyone has left to the other room and then unlocks the door alien-style. After arriving in the room, they had melted the lock on the door to stop anyone from coming in. Max takes a deep breath and activates his time manipulation power. A small wave erupts from him extending to a couple feet all around him. Once he has enough concentration to hold it there, with the same hand he unleashes a green energy shield that comes all around him stopping only 2 feet from his body. With adequate protection, Max steps out the door. Immediately on the left and right of him are two men who each fire a shortened version of the M4 called the Mk.18, or CQBR. 5.56x45mm NATO ammunition is being fired at him. To the astonishment of the soldiers, the bullets slow down when they approach the teen to finally bounce off the green shield when they reach it. Both soldiers have emptied their cartridges and are reaching to reload when they are suddenly pushed back into the air to slam into two support pillars. They both black out.The other three members of each team start emptying their magazines at Max but it is still having no noticeable effect.

Meanwhile Max is starting to get annoyed of so many bullets coming at him. It all starts to remind him of the Matrix with so many bullets coming from many directions. Max decides to try something similar; he stops all the bullets with a wave of his hand. He's actually manipulating the air molecules around the bullets to increase their resistance so that they stop. He then makes all the bullets drop to the ground at the same time. Since he's using his alien energy to move all of them, the time manipulation field doesn't affect them. Most of the soldiers remember the Matrix movie and are astonished that he can do something similar. Finally he rips out all the guns from the soldiers to his left and right and with a wave of his hand they all start glowing red before liquefying into a puddle of metal. All six remaining members of the teams are then raised into the air to be knocked out by the support beams of the roof they hit.

Special Agent John Morden was just as surprised as everyone when the principal target stepped out of the room one minute before they were going in. Before being able to give the order to fire, both team leaders are firing bullets at the target. The bullets appear to slow down though, before hitting the green shield harmlessly. His job just got a lot harder if they appear to be impervious to bullets. Nothing in Agent Pierce's files, or what was left of them appeared to suggest these sorts of powers. He knew that the aliens could change faces that they could kill with a touch but also heal with a touch. There were some unconfirmed reports that they could also manipulate the air to rip out guns or push people violently. It was for that eventuality that two snipers were brought in. After watching his two teams get beaten that easily, he realizes that they have nothing in their arsenal capable of beating him. They would need a rocket launcher, or maybe a guided missile.

Special Agent John Morden got his job after it was determined that aliens were responsible for the destruction of the Air Force Base outside of Roswell. The deputy director of the FBI asked him to rebuild the Special Unit inside the FBI. It would be secret and only answerable to the Committee, a group of like-minded government officials who were aware of the threat of aliens on earth and who had the resolve to have them removed. They have sister operations in other branches of the government like the NID, the Army and the Air Force. He was promoted to the Special Unit Head because he worked previously, unofficially, with the previous Special Unit under the direction of Special Agent Daniel Pierce. He had kept some copies of the files Daniel Pierce had kept and was up to date on his investigation. Unfortunately, Daniel Pierce came back into headquarters after leaving for Roswell after catching a big break and started acting strange. Special Agent Morden went underground once he saw that the Unit Head had been either replaced or brainwashed. Unfortunately, he couldn't raise the alarm to the other members in time. After the public dismantlement of the Unit, most of the other members of the Unit had deadly accidents and all the files disappeared. Special Agent Pierce went missing a short time afterwards. John Morden knew how dangerous these aliens were. Unfortunately he had been focusing most of his attention on sabotage and infiltration. The only three they had caught had been pretty easily. He could never have imagined that some of them could be good in combat and that they might actually lose today.

Max is still the center of attention. There is a spotlight on him coming from a helicopter overhead. There are still bullets coming from in front of him. He recognizes that there are two types of rounds in front of him but he doesn't know enough about ammunition to recognize the ammo or the guns. They are actually 5.56x45mm NATO ammunition coming from the M-4 Assault Rifles and the 7.62x51 mm (.308 Winchester) ammunition coming from both FNH SPR-USG sniper rifles. Once he steps off the porch into the parking lot, a helicopter spotlight also starts trailing him. It is a black McDonnell Douglas MD 530F helicopter with a FBI logo on the side. Max redoes the Matrix move to stop the ammunition in the air but instead of letting it all drop to the ground, he sends the bullets back in the direction of the shooters. Most of them hit the sandbags set up or the cars in the parking lot. Still, Max hears a couple cries coming from the soldiers. After that action, the shooting tapers off. After spotting some cameras, Max decides to increase the psychological impact this will have on the men and their bosses.

Max: "You have made your last mistake today. We were content to run even though we were innocent. You were willing to torture an innocent 16 year old boy for simply being different; you were willing to kill four teenagers for a crime they did not commit. Isn't it 'innocent until proven guilty' in your Constitution. We are not responsible for the destruction of your base or for any human deaths; the guilty have already been punished. You have made a great mistake today for you have just declared war on the ruler of the sovereign planet of Antar and we will come for you. I am but a taste of things to come."

At this last word, Max ignites the tanks of the all the cars in the parking lot consecutively. He does it by heating up the metal tank of gas until the fuel ignites. He's careful to direct metal fragments and the explosion away from the van; it is their only escape route. Finally, before getting into the van, Max directs a few metal fragments at high speed towards the helicopter overhead. It hits the helicopter in the tail rotor making a large noise. The helicopter starts losing altitude and becomes more and more uncontrollable while smoke starts coming out of the engine. It crash lands in the forest in front of the motel. 30 seconds later it explodes.

Meanwhile, back at the Washington DC headquarters of the NID the committee is both amazed at what the alien can do and horrified that this threat can't be stopped. They're all watching through cameras transmitting from the guys at the scene and an overhead satellite view.

Senator Kinsey: "My god! Can you imagine soldiers working for us with those powers. Hell! Even if we can get the alien device producing that shield, our soldiers would be invincible. We don't even need him alive. We could safeguard the American people, hell we could safeguard the world. No one could resist our might; all our enemies would be instantly destroyed. The American people would name me a hero; I would be America's savior."

Mr. Bester: "Don't get ahead of yourself Senator; we haven't had much success lately with the Stargate program either. You had promised us direct access to the Stargate after our operation with the second one was stopped but we still haven't seen results. Your other operations haven't fared much better. We will not tolerate more failures from you for much longer."

He gives Kinsey a long hard look. The man has always had an enormous ego and lately he hasn't been able to deliver the alien technology he has promised.

Mr. Bester: "Now, we still have to capture or destroy these aliens and that seems to be pretty hard. If they're impervious to bullets, we'll need some more destructive weapons."

Kinsey acknowledges the rebuke but stays quiet, he has several ongoing projects which should start producing results soon but the less the Committee knows about them is best. It's always easier to hide failures. The loss of Maybourne was hard because he knew a lot of how to organize good operations. Hopefully he could get Simmons, Maybourne's deputy, freed to lead the project to steal the X-303. A spaceship at my disposal could change a lot of things for me.

Mr. Mollari: "We could always try dropping a guided bomb on their heads, I'm not sure they could survive that."

After seeing that the situation on the ground isn't getting much better through the monitors; all nine members of the Committee give a nod for that plan. They contact Special Agent Morden and give him authorization to drop a guided bomb on the aliens. Unfortunately, they hear the alien's speech and the subsequent explosions which knock out all the cameras. The overhead satellite view goes red at the same time. No individual details can be gleaned from it. It might already be too late to send a plane. They're all a bit worried that maybe they messed with a clearly superior foe. Common sense then returns and they're all imagining the alien's face when he meets the Air-Force's guided bomb head on. The United States is still the world's superpower and no alien foe will best them.

Agent Morden gives to his Air Force counterpart the order for the launch of the F-16 to bomb the target but he knows it's too late. The tide of battle had already shifted within the first 10 seconds of battle. It will take at least 20 minutes for the plane to get here from Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico and with the alien's clear superiority, there is no way he'll stay for that long. 10 seconds later, he sees a huge explosion coming from the motel and the monitors all turn to static. Seconds later one of his helicopter crash lands in the forest.

Max takes advantage of the chaos caused by the explosions to get in the van and drive away. He has dropped both his shields. He's tired from holding them that long and going on the offense at the same time. He comes around the side of the motel and finds the rest of the group waiting behind the dumpsters. They all get in the van and Liz immediately gives him a hug and a kiss. She has been very worried, especially after hearing all the gunshots and the explosions.

Liz: "Max… You're okay? You're not hurt or anything? When we heard all those shots and explosions we were worried."

Max: "I'm okay Liz… Just a bit tired. Didn't even have a bullet touch me."

Michael: "That's good Max. Next time though I'm coming with you. We're starting the training immediately after we get the orbs."

Kyle: "Hey Max, nice show back there. There goes hiding your alien-ness. They now have direct confirmation that you are not of this world. I'm sure you scared the crap out of them though. Damn, you showed them! I can't wait till I get my alien powers."

Isabel: "Nice job Max. We should probably wait until we're actually out of here before we start making plans."

Max: "Right… Hold on, we still have to get through the checkpoint to get out of here. We're not out of the woods left."

They drive out of the driveway and onto the road. There is a checkpoint up ahead guarded by Air Force MPs. There are two barriers, each on one side of the road, manned by five guards.

Max: "Here, Michael take the wheel. I'm going to shield us from the front."

Michael: "Yeah, but I'll have to blast those barriers, they look like concrete. Won't be able to get past them without some help."

Michael accelerates the van towards the checkpoint. Max then opens the passenger window and sticks his hand out. Suddenly a green shield appears in front of the van. One guard notices the incoming van and tells them to get into position. Once the van is close enough, the guards start shooting at the van. They're aiming for the driver and the engine. All their bullets are just being stopped by Max's shield though.

Private Hayes: "Hey Sarge, what the hell is that green thing?"

Private Monty: "Crap, we're not even touching that van. Even the M2A1 Cal .50 Machine Gun isn't touching it."

Sergeant Smith: "Just keep on shooting, nothing can resist that many bullets that long. Our orders are to contain anything that comes out. Anyways, they won't be able to get through the barriers. Bernie, get on the horn and ask for some reinforcements, we might need them to bring that thing down."

Max's face is tight and concentrated from holding the shield from that many bullets. He's starting to strain from the effort of holding this shield and after what he had already done in the parking lot. He's pushing himself further than he ever has before. Finally, the van is just fifty feet from the checkpoint and Michael sticks his hand out the window. Max moves his shield a bit to the right so that Michael has a direct shot. Michael then concentrates on the target and lets loose one first energy blast on the left concrete barrier. It hits the target and the barrier explodes. Chunks of concrete are coming down from the sky but there's no piece bigger than a fist that's left. Behind what's left of the barrier, two guards are on the ground bleeding all over from the flying shrapnel.

Sergeant Smith: "Shit! Everyone in the forest. Fernandez, help me grab Monty and Hayes! Bernie, where the hell are our reinforcements?"

It's too late though, Michael fires a second time at the right barrier and the guards that are left only had time to jump into the bordering forest. That still doesn't stop some shrapnel from hitting them in the back but at least they're not incapacitated. The second barrier is destroyed and no one is shooting at them anymore so Max releases his shield. He fells really tired. He's breathing heavily and he's starting to see blurry at the edge of his vision. Isabel sees that there are still some concrete fragments that could blow out the tires on the road and two guards down on the other side. She sticks her hand out the window once Max has released the shield and all the concrete fragments are blown to the side of the road. Both guards are also thrown to the side of the road. The road is now clear and they pass without any problems.

Sergeant Smith who is face down in a bush and hurting hears the van speed past them. With a big effort he turns around and sits up. He sees Private Bernie a couple feet from him with the smashed radio on his back but he seems only knocked out. He can't see Fernandez immediately but hears a groan from up. Fernandez was knocked onto a branch from the force of the blast.

Sergeant Smith: "Christ! That was some powerful advanced weapons. They could've told us that'd we'd be up against something worse than a tank."

Private Fernandez: "We're out for the count; let those bastards from the FBI handle them now. No wonder we got our asses kicked, no one warned us that'd we'd be up against a heavily armed and defended vehicle. They were only supposed to be teenagers."

Sergeant Smith: "Let's check out the rest of the team. Hayes and Monty don't look good."

A couple minutes later two HH-60G Pave Hawk Helicopters arrive over the site of the checkpoint. Their spotlights are trained over the site of the recent battle. Two people are laid down on the ground, two sitting against a tree while a fifth one is signaling the helicopter because their radio was knocked out.

Captain McNally: "HOMEPLATE, this is JOLLY 1, checkpoint has been breached, I repeat, checkpoint has been breached… No sign of hostiles… Friendly's are down and requesting immediate medical attention…Over"

Colonel Thorne: "JOLLY 1, this is HOMEPLATE; your orders are to search for hostiles and radio their position… I repeat, your orders are to search and tag hostiles…JOLLY 2 will medivac the wounded… Over"

Captain McNally: "JOLLY 1…Acknowledging orders… Search and tag hostiles…Roger that… Out"

Captain Louis: "JOLLY 2… Standing by to commence medivac of wounded… Over and out"

Special Agent Morden is pissed off that they were able to get out of the containment zone. Now he's just hoping that the helicopter can find them again so that he can radio their position to the plane that's in the air right now. Agent Morden has no cars left. Most of his agents are incapacitated from the battle in the parking lot of the motel. He lost one helicopter. Now he's even lost one of his Air Force teams. It's incredible that two take down six aliens forty troops weren't enough. Damn, they're tough. He just hopes that he doesn't lose another helicopter. It's going to be hard enough to hide what went on tonight at the motel and the air force bomb if it drops. If he loses another helicopter and more troops, he won't be able to hide it all. He looks onto the field where his troops and agents are being treated under the flashing read, white and blue lights of the ambulances. Farther off, firefighters are putting out the fires of the cars and the helicopter crash.

Captain McNally and his copilot search along the road and in the forest for a good forty minutes using their night vision goggles. He doesn't have anymore fuel to spare though so he abandons the search. The forest foliage is very heavy; you could barely see the road from overhead. The targets could've taken any number of dirt roads that go through the forest. It was an impossible task. Meanwhile, Captain Louis has been ferrying over the seriously wounded to a hospital with his helicopter. A lot of people were killed and wounded tonight. Special Agent Morden finally calls off the operation. He sends the F-16 that's been flying in circles over the area waiting for a target back to its base. The troops that weren't too seriously wounded are getting into their trucks to go back to base. His agents are just mopping up this operation now. They've searched the alien's motel rooms, but couldn't find anything there, just holes in the walls all the way to the end. He picks up the phone to report his failure to eliminate the hostiles to his superiors.

Agent Morden: "Sir, the targets have escaped our grasp. I am terminating the operation here."

Assistant Director Kersh: "WHAT! What happened? You had forty men on the ground and four helicopters to catch six teens!"

Agent Morden: "The target known as Max Evans confronted twenty five of our men one minute before we were going to storm the rooms. He displayed new powerful abilities that made him impenetrable to bullets. Within ten minutes he had incapacitated most of my men and blown a helicopter out of the sky without a mark on him. He then picked up the other alien targets and they forced through a checkpoint to vanish into the forest. I directed one of the Air Force helicopters to search for them but they were not successful."

Assistant Director Kersh: "Shit! It's worrisome if they start displaying new destructive abilities. It is becoming even more imperative that we contain them. We are not sure if you're up to the task anymore. You will immediately take a flight to DC. You will meet with the committee where we will review your actions tonight. Bring all relevant reports and video with you."

Agent Morden: "Yes sir. Good night sir."

Agent Morden is worried about his job. All previous Special Unit Heads have never finished well. They were all killed off by the aliens although there are rumors that some were taken out by our side. He just hopes that he did enough tonight to convince them that the alien's skill and power were completely unexpected and would've overwhelmed anybody else too. Agent Morden tells his deputy to finish the mop up operation. The agreed scenario is an electrical fire that started in the motel while a military training exercise was going on in the field next to it. The smoke caused the helicopter to crash and the fire killed those in the motel and those military men that tried to save those poor people. Agent Morden then takes a car to board the first flight going to DC.

June 17, 2002, 1000 PM

Two hours later, Michael wakes Max up. He's sleeping in the back with his head in Liz's lap. He expanded too much energy protecting them all so he fell asleep immediately after the battle. Michael, immediately after passing the checkpoint took a dirt road going into the forest. Good thing too because they all heard helicopter rotor blades afterwards. The dirt road ended up bringing them outside of a small town. They were then able to go back on the highway heading for Roswell.

Michael: "Max, we're here. Wake up. Let's hurry up and dig up the alien technology so that we can leave."

Kyle: "I don't like being so close to Roswell; the FBI must still have a sizable operation there."

Isabel: "Too bad we can't go see our parents. We're so close and there's no idea of when we'll see them again."

Max: "Huh? Oh, we're here already. No, we can't go see our parents, its way too dangerous. They could still be under surveillance. No, we follow the plan. We've already had enough of the Special Unit for one day"

Kyle, Max and Michael started digging up the sand with their hands. After finding the right place, they found both orbs and the destiny book. They took everything in the van with them. Isabel took the wheel and they started driving east. They'll drive the whole night so that they can be as far away as possible from their last known location.