4

"Liz!"

Maria ran into the apartment and saw her best friend lying on the couch, her eyes a dark yellow. She looked so pale, so sick.

"Maria." Liz smiled faintly.

"Oh God, please don't die Liz!" Maria cried, tears in her eyes. She looked at Max who was sitting and holding Liz's hand.

"So she isn't getting any better?" Maria asked sadly.

"No." Max said softly.

"It hurts so much." Liz whispered. "I need to go to the hospital. Max, what if I die? I have to go to the hospital!"

Pain was evident on Max's face. He was torn between helping Liz but if they did go to the hospital, the doctors would find out about her identity. And it wasn't going to be easy covering up the DNA like the previous time.

"Max, we should." Maria looked at him, tears in her eyes. "We don't know how long Liz will last."

"But doing that would risk the FBI finding us, everyone knowing about us!"

"But Liz will be healthy! That's all that matters!"

"I know!" Max snapped. "I don't know what to do."

"Liz is your wife. Her health is more important than anything else right now."

Max nodded slowly. He knew that, but taking Liz to the hospital would risk everything. They would be hunted again, there would be no safe place to go, and the FBI would be tracing their every move.

"Why don't you just heal her? Use your powers!"

"I'm not taking that risk." Max said quietly. "Liz has alien DNA, I have alien DNA. That could cause something – it could make her worse."

"She has alien DNA?" Maria raised an eyebrow. Max hesitated. He wasn't positive that she had. He just assumed that, now that Liz had alien powers. But what if she didn't? Then she could be healed!

"Maria, can you set up a microscope? Assess some blood cells?"

"Well, I'm not as advanced as Liz. But yeah. Can't you?"

Max ignored the question and quickly acted.

"Set it up, get the slides ready. I'll get some blood."

"What – oh." Maria understood and nodded firmly, getting up to help Max get everything ready. All that she hoped was that Liz would have no alien DNA, no alien blood cells, so Max could heal her. And she would be fine.

Max knelt down beside Liz, who had fallen asleep during their conversation. She looked so pale, so fragile. Max brushed her hair behind her ears and smiled, feeling his heart breaking for her. He didn't want to see her like this, but now they were going to do something about it.

And find out what was wrong with her.

San Francisco

"Come on!"

Kyle struggled with a spanner, grease smeared all over his hands as he tried to fix up a car engine.

"Get on with it Valenti!" his boss snapped from behind. "You have more customers and this was expected to be done an hour ago! Pick up the pace!"

"I am." Kyle grumbled. Even though he hated this job, he got paid. But in the end, he didn't end up with much as it was shared between Max and Liz, Maria and Michael and Isabel.

Kyle struggled with the spanner again before he noticed a green spark flicker across his hands. Kyle froze. Liz had the same thing, when she was getting her powers. Did this mean he was finally getting his?

Kyle glanced behind him and was relieved to see his boss had gone. He would have had to make up something fast if his boss had seen it. Kyle watched the green spider web patterned light flicker across his skin. It almost looked like green lightning. But then it got more frantic, and started making a sparking sound.

Kyle glanced around, thinking quickly. He couldn't stay or anyone would notice, and if he left, then he would get fired. Which would leave them all with no money.

Kyle got up and pulled on some leather gloves, catching his reflection in a car rearview mirror. The green lightning was flickering across his face. Kyle started to panic and noticed that the green lightning was reacting to his emotions, flickering faster and sparking loudly. He breathed in deeply, feeling the air around him, focusing on his inner self. One more look in the rearview mirror and the green sparks were barely visible. But still there. He had to leave, or he would be seen.

Kyle looked around once again and then dropped the spanner and fled the workshop, not noticing the person who had been watching him the whole time.

Roswell, New Mexico

"I know."

Mains nodded abruptly as he looked through the car window, staring over at the Evans house. He saw the two figures through the kitchen window, sitting at a table. It was them. Phillip and Diane.

"Are you at your station?" Mains spoke through a comm chip via a headset.

"Yes sir." Davis replied.

"Flank the right side of the house. Move quietly. Do not alert anyone. Be as silent as possible. Now move!"

"Moving out sir."

Mains watched through the window, just watching and waiting. He watched as the Evans stood up, after hearing a sound. Then, as planned, they were surrounded by twelve soldiers, guns pointing at their heads. He heard Diane squeal, but softly. No one would notice. As planned.

"Area secure. We have them sir."

"Bring them in." Mains smiled.