Ending Two, Part 7 (or Part 83)
Michael shifted around to get comfortable in the passenger's seat of the semi truck, his arms crossed over his chest and a ball cap tugged down low over his eyes. He had hitchhiked out of the small town, catching a ride with the driver of an oil tanker. The man didn't talk much which suited him just fine. The CB radio squawked at fairly regular intervals and the driver conversed with some of the other drivers and the rest of the time the radio just went ignored.
The driver could only get him as far as the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex but he had said he was sure he would be able to catch another truck heading east and from there it wouldn't be long before he was on his way to Miami. He had managed to lift enough cash before leaving Roswell that he would be able to pick up something to eat when they stopped. He was hungry but he could wait a few more hours.
He hadn't made a decision about whether to make the trip all the way to Miami or whether to just wait for them in Monroe, Louisiana. They would be coming through in three days and while part of him felt the need to get to them and make sure they were alright, the rational part of his brain was telling him to wait it out in Monroe. If for any reason he missed intercepting them prior to the accident this would be nothing more than a waste of time. It would be best to wait for them to cross his path and then make sure they didn't continue on their trip until the threat had passed.
He nodded to himself and let his head drop back against the headrest, his eyes staring at the yellow line bisecting the highway. The line was hypnotizing and without his permission his mind began to wander and his thoughts latched onto Maria. He wondered if she had made it safely back to her universe and if she had what she was doing. Had the Granolith dumped her off in the chamber? Or had she appeared somewhere that had put her in danger of being discovered? What were the chances she had been dumped off somewhere close to her friends? She had described the Granolith in her universe as being cold. He wasn't fanciful enough to attribute emotional characteristics to a damn machine, but he wouldn't be surprised to learn that she had appeared someplace she hadn't expected.
It wouldn't be random. He had a feeling it chose the place for its travelers to appear based on some sort of knowledge it possessed. But he was dead in her universe. Or at least her version of him was dead. What was the chance that something they had done had altered events and he would be alive to be there for her? His chest hurt at the thought of her being alone in a place where government agents would hunt her down just because of her choice to be with him. They considered themselves to be superior, protecting the public from a threat, and what threat did any of them pose? They weren't the ones who had gone around killing, hunting down a bunch of teenagers with the intent of dissecting them for study, and eventually killing them. He thought about what little Maria had been able to tell him about that bastard Pierce and what he had done to Max in that white room. He hoped Maria had landed somewhere safe because anything else was unthinkable.
He forced the negative thoughts away. He couldn't let himself be distracted by worry for her and she would kick his ass for doing it anyway. There wasn't much he could do until he reached his destination so he let his thoughts turn instead to their last night together. He stared, unblinking, at the wide yellow line. It had barely been 12 hours since he had held her in his arms… 24 hours since he had made love to her. He missed her in a way he had never missed anyone else and it felt like he was missing some essential part of himself. He braced his elbow on the window frame and rested his head in the palm of his hand as he squinted to read the road sign coming up. They still had 420 more miles to go before they hit Dallas.
It was gonna be a long night. He sighed and rubbed his right eyebrow with the knuckle of his forefinger. It was interesting how the company of different people could alter the passage of time. The night before when he would have given just about anything to make it last as long as possible the hours had flown by. And now he was stuck with some random truck driver traveling across the country and the night would probably be interminable.
Since he had joined the Company at 17 years old he had been a good soldier. He had done what was asked of him and any complaints he had about the job he had kept to himself. And that had been fine just a matter of months ago. He had never had a reason to worry about coming home, never had to think twice about the risks he took in the field, and he had never given a fuck about what anyone else thought about him. That had all changed when one little blonde woman barged into his life less than a year ago. She had more heart than anyone he'd ever known and she cared too much; it left her open to getting hurt or taken advantage of and he had a feeling that no matter what, no one and nothing would ever change that about her.
He shifted restlessly, hating the constricted feeling in his chest because he knew it was directly related to her absence. He resisted the urge to rub over the spot that felt hollow and achy, such a direct contrast to the overwhelming feeling of tightness that seemed to surround him. He closed his eyes, letting the memories of the night before wash over him and temporarily easing the unfamiliar feeling of loneliness. He missed her in a way that he had never imagined missing anyone; it was an ache that was both physical and emotional.
His right arm crossed over his body, his hand slipping under the jacket he wore and wrapping around the grip of the gun he had stolen from a house in the Evans' neighborhood. He had always slept lightly, a combination of an uncertain childhood and his training as an operative for the Company. The only time he had ever slept so heavily was with Maria and it hadn't happened enough for it to disrupt his normal sleeping pattern.
His tired mind shifted to the woman he had held in his arms the night before and he could picture her as if she was right there with him. With little effort his imagination took over and he could feel her skin against his as his weight rested against her. What would his life have been like if she had been able to stay in his universe? Or if he had been able to go with her back to hers? He shook his head, pushing the thoughts away. It didn't matter. His life had been forfeited as soon as the decision had been made to undertake this crazy mission. For eight months she had been in his life and just as he had come to the realization that for the first time he had someone he didn't want to lose she had been taken away from him.
Now he had the opportunity to alter the past and make sure Maria in his universe lived and that his younger self would have a chance at a semi-normal life with someone who, if she was anything like her counterpart, would love him. Oh, she'd piss him off and he'd piss her off, and probably on a fairly regular basis, but now he knew that the capability to love was inside of him. They would fight like cats and dogs but they wouldn't just fight with each other, they'd fight for each other, and he had a feeling they would make it. He'd fork over every cent he'd ever earned for a chance to catch that show.
He didn't know how they would meet, but it would take his younger self a while to figure out why she bugged the hell out of him. He didn't know who he was going to be once he altered the past. The adversity he'd endured all through his childhood and teens had played a big part in shaping him into the man he had become. In this timeline he was 15 years old, so a lot of the damage had already been done, but maybe having the others becoming a part of his life would make a difference. Maybe when Maria came into his life he wouldn't be as hard on her as he had been in his own timeline.
He had a feeling she would grate on his nerves for a while, and he knew he wouldn't understand why she bothered him. Even with the others in his life he was going to be difficult and hard to handle; he remembered well who he was at 15 years old. Having a couple of kids come to him and tell him what they were going to tell him wouldn't be easy to hear and most likely he'd blow them off at first. But once they got through to him, once their lives were linked to his, he would take responsibility for them. He would do whatever was necessary to protect them. His involvement in the Company was imperative, and he would have to make sure he stressed that, because that training was going to be necessary for their survival.
He still had his concerns about his effectiveness in the field once he had established a bond with the others. He hadn't had that and it had allowed him to focus solely on his career. There had been nothing to interfere with his mindset, nothing to make him question any order he had been given, and nothing to come home to. Having people to come home to could potentially lead to complications in his line of work. Or maybe it would make him fight harder. He didn't know. The only thing he knew for sure was that for once in his life he was doing something selfless. He had given up his chance to be with Maria to alter his past and possibly save Earth in his universe from Khivar's future invasion. And he had agreed to do it because it was what she had felt was the right thing to do.
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"Stay back," Michael ordered. He stood there, locked in a staring contest with the woman… Skin… shapeshifter… whatever the hell it was. He knew it wasn't Maria. He was as sure of that as he was sure that he wasn't completely human. It wasn't just that he had left Maria asleep in their bed; this look-alike was different. She had longer hair, a weariness that didn't come from working long hours at the factory, there was something different about her demeanor, and she seemed older somehow.
The part of him that instinctively responded to Maria reacted to the expression of hurt on this thing's face, but he forced himself to ignore it. "What are you?" he demanded.
Maria's mind was casting about wildly, trying to find anything that would tell her when in time the Granolith had dropped her. What if this wasn't her universe? God, she couldn't go through this again. "What's today's date?" she asked, paying no attention to his question.
His eyes narrowed as he studied her, sensing confusion and an edge of hysteria in her. Almost against his will he spit out the date, "October 25th."
"It's Friday," she breathed in relief. "You're on your way to work." Michael's alive! Her mind chanted the two words over and over and with them came a flood of emotions. Without stopping to think about her actions, without considering how he would react, without a single moment of doubt that she was safe with him, she rushed the space separating them and flung herself into his arms.
Michael remained stiff, his arms at his sides as she held onto him tightly, confused by the combination of laughter and tears, but certain that the hysteria was still there, underlying every word she or it was uttering.
"You're alive. The Granolith sent me back. I don't know if it was intentional or if maybe it made a mistake… it was so certain that the events of the past shouldn't be changed. But maybe this was what was supposed to happen." She was babbling and she couldn't stop. "Going back in time… do you understand what this means? It means you'll live! I won't have to use the Granolith to travel to another universe." Her throat started to close up as she thought about the man she had left behind. "I had to leave you, but it wasn't really you. Well, he was you, but you in another universe. I know you don't understand and I probably don't have time to explain it all." She leaned back suddenly, her teary eyes widening as she realized that her time was probably already running out. "Oh my God, you have to listen to me – "
Michael shoved her… it away as he reminded himself again that whoever or whatever this was, it wasn't his Maria. It could easily be preying on his predictable behavior to seeing Maria in any kind of distress. "What are you?" he demanded. This person or thing, it was talking about the Granolith, time travel, alternate universes, and his existence as if it was being called into question.
"Michael, it's me… I'm Maria. Please, you have to listen to me!"
He shook his head stubbornly as he tried to figure out what he was going to do and wondering how much time he had before someone discovered them. They were standing in the middle of the road on the old highway that ran between the house and the factory at the outer edges of Clayton. The road wasn't frequently traveled at this time of day but there was always the possibility that someone would come along.
Maria could see the wheels turning in his mind and she knew he was running through his options. Before long he would probably decide to find a way to secure her and if she ran out of time before she convinced him to listen to her this would have all been in vain and in less than 48 hours her past self would go through what she had already been through. She couldn't let that happen. "Michael, you have to listen to me!"
He stared at the road behind her before glancing at the stretch of empty road behind him. They were too exposed out here. If this thing decided to attack he couldn't be seen defending himself against it out in the open. The risk was too great. He couldn't go back to the house, couldn't put Maria – the real Maria – in danger that way. He could subdue her, drive deeper into the desert where they couldn't be seen while he questioned her. It, he reminded himself. "Get in the truck."
She saw his brow furrow and his eyes narrow just before he spoke and she shook her head. If she got in the truck he would refuse to listen until they got to wherever he felt it was safe to question her. It could take too long and she hadn't come this far to lose him again. "No, you have to listen to me, Michael. This road is hardly ever traveled this late in the day and you know that. Yes, it's risky to stand out here and talk, but I don't know how much time I've got." His posture became even more rigid if that was possible and she saw him calculating the odds that she had some sort of backup coming. He reached for her, his intent to force her into the truck evident in his dark eyes, and she knew it might be the only chance she had to catch him unaware.
Michael wasn't prepared for it when she suddenly launched herself into his arms again and he stumbled back several steps when her lips crashed onto his. Her hands gripped him tightly, refusing his efforts to remove her and the momentary distraction was all she needed for his walls to drop. He felt the connection open between them, something he had never experienced with another living soul outside of Maria. The flashes hit him hard and fast, some of the scenes flying by too quickly for his mind to latch onto long enough to make sense of them. Others were so familiar all he needed was the slightest hint and he could recall them with perfect clarity. Along with the flashes came the feelings that accompanied the memories and he was unable to fight them.
Their 'first time' at the crash festival when she had worn that green costume and his touch had lingered longer than necessary. The time he had watched her through her bedroom window, her features slightly distorted through the rain and the multi-colored beaded curtain. The way she had looked at him, attempting to stay strong and tell him no. The care she had taken with him once she had taken him into her home, into her bedroom, and eventually into her bed. Care no one else had ever bothered to take with him… care that he had craved and known instinctively that she would give without question. The day he had walked away from her because he loved her too much. The day they left Roswell behind after graduation; her fear of what lay ahead of them intermingled with her happiness at being with him regardless of the circumstances. The day the two of them had finally settled down on their own, moving into their little house outside of Clayton. The joy she felt at simple things like decorating their home and just living a fairly normal life with him.
The flashes began to escalate, taking on a darker tone as images that he had no connection to began to hit him. He didn't understand the scenes flying by and he didn't have the time to process them.
A scene with him lying on the ground, blood pooling around him as the cold began to seep into his body. The Granolith and Maria's devastation as she begged it to help her save him. Her relief as it granted her request. Her confusion when she found him… but it wasn't him. More scenes hit him rapidly and he felt revulsion sweep over him at the treatment she had received at the hands of a man that looked like him. The bond that formed between her and this other man as time passed. Her fear when he returned from somewhere with a bullet wound and she was forced to relive the memory of losing the man she loved. The care that he took with her as she finally broke, grief causing her to collapse. The Granolith again, this time sending her back in time with no expectation of finding him alive. Her worry and anger at the realization that she had been dropped in the desert and she had no idea where she was. The nearly overwhelming sadness as she wondered about those she cared about and what she was going to do to survive. Her exhaustion as she stared at the truck coming directly at her and the fear at the thought that it could be one of their enemies. The relief and joy that had washed over her when she had seen him coming towards her that was quickly followed by the wounded feeling at the harshness in his voice.
He stared at her when she finally broke the kiss. It was true, all of it. Somehow she was Maria, he could feel it. It was crazy, but he believed her. Something terrible had happened to her, to him… to them, and somehow the Granolith had caused something to happen to prevent that event. "I died," he said slowly.
She nodded as she reached up to touch his face. "We took you to the Granolith but it wouldn't cooperate at first. When it finally decided to help it sent me to an alternate universe where everything was different. Liz died in the shooting, Max and Isabel were killed in a car accident when they were little, Alex and Kyle had both moved away, I had died, and you were in a covert operations thing… a trained sniper. I had to save you in that universe, Michael."
Her fingers trailed over his face as she talked non-stop. "He had to go back in time, prevent Max and Isabel from dying because that was the only way to keep me and Liz from dying, the only way to keep the others there. It was the only way to keep us all together so that we would be ready when Khivar invaded. And the Granolith sent me back here, but I didn't know you were still alive. I thought I was coming back to my universe eight months from now, but for whatever reason it sent me back prior to the accident."
Her eyes roamed over his face. "You're off this weekend, it's rare for us to ever have two days off together, and we'll spend it just being together. We'll go for walks, we'll talk, as much as you ever do, we'll make love, and then on Sunday morning you'll run ahead of me… it's gonna rain tomorrow and it'll rain hard, the riverbed will be filled and for whatever reason that draws your attention. The cliff over the river won't support your weight, I don't know if that's because the ground's just weak right there or if it's because of all the rain, but it doesn't matter. You have to stay away from the river. You fall and it kills you." Tears clogged her throat and her hands dropped to his shirt, her fingers curling into the material as she shook him. "You have to stay away. I can't live through losing you again."
Michael reached up to cover her hands, gently prying them from his shirt. She was talking so fast it was making his head spin. "Slow down, Maria." Future Maria, him dying, time travel, the Granolith, alternate universes, the river. It was too much. "Just stop, blondie, I need to think."
"You don't understand, Michael. I don't know how much time I have here. Until I saw you I thought I was here eight months from now and that I had to find a way to survive without you. But you're alive." She laughed hysterically. "You're alive, and you can stay that way. Just stay away from the river. "I just need to know that you won't go anywhere near the river, stay away from the cliffs. God, just walk in another direction. I won't care where we walk as long as you don't die. Do you understand? All that matters to me… to her… is being with you."
He studied her intently, his gaze unblinking as he went over everything he had seen and heard in the past few minutes. "We'll stay away from the river," he said finally.
Relief caused her to sway weakly and she sighed when he reached out to steady her.
"That other guy, me… whatever, he didn't treat you well."
"I wish I had the time to explain. All that matters is he was you. Just older, military-trained, and he grew up in an orphanage. But in the end… he was you, Michael." She reached up to touch his face but her hand passed through him as it began to fade out. "It's happening," she whispered in wonder.
Michael swallowed hard as she slowly began to phase in and out. He checked the road in both directions, making sure it was clear before focusing on her again. "Does it hurt?"
She shook her head. "It means you believe me. It's happening because we've already changed the future. You won't die in two days." Her green eyes shimmered with tears. "That's all that matters."
Before he could get a single word out she disappeared, her body fading away into nothing. Dead in two days, he mused, sickened at the thought at leaving Maria behind. He walked back to the truck and slid in behind the wheel, sitting there for several moments, his gaze locked on the road ahead of him. He turned his head to the side to look at his lunch sitting on the seat beside him; lunch that Maria had prepared for him before she had gone to bed because she wanted it to be as fresh as possible when his lunchtime rolled around. He started the truck and made a u-turn, heading back for the house as he went over everything he had just learned.