Michael turned off the lights in the waiting room.

"Okay," he said as he stood behind Michelle, "I'm going to connect with you give you sort of a power boost, then I want you to remember what happened when you were driving home.  The images will be projected so we can see who the man was okay?"

She nodded nervously "okay"

Taking a deep breath, Michael placed his fingers on her temples and felt an instant connection.  Eyes open he stared towards the wall as images started appearing. 

Everything was seen from Michelle's point of view, Michael looked up to Maria with her to see the tears rolling down her cheeks.  He tensed as he heard her ask if everything was okay and Maria reply that it was.

He was scum, he'd made Maria cry.

They were looking up ahead at the road, Michelle said that there was a man standing in the road.  Michael's heart raced as he saw the panic grip Maria as she tried to stop, eyes grew wide as she swerved and hit the tree.

Everything went black for a few minutes, to Michael they felt like painful hours until he heard Maria's voice break through the silence.  He watched as she dusted glass out of Michelle's hair and made sure she was okay.

Suddenly all attention was placed to the door as he heard it squeak as if someone was pulling it, no ripping it off.  Then gasped with Michelle as it flew off, just like the Detective had said.    He watched as Maria eyes wide with fear slide over to look outside.  He saw her jump back blocking Michelle's view.  All he could hear was a voice asking if it was okay. 

The voice, it sounded familiar.

He watched as Maria moved to the side, as the figure peered into the car. 

"Just a little to the left," he muttered as he squinted his eye.

"Oh my gosh" he heard Isabel gasp

"What is it?" he asked, then nodded with understanding as the face came into view.  

Those eyes, that evil self-satisfied smile.

"Khivar," he muttered, then everything went black again.

Michelle pulled away from him, "that's it," she said, "was it any help?"

"Yeah it was," nodded Michael in shock.

 Khivar here on earth and with Maria?

 

Ray looked around the room and what he saw he definitely didn't like.  Isabel, Michael, Maria and Liz all had the same look in their eyes, of horror and worry.  Dread cascaded over him.  This was more serious than a Maria obsessed weirdo.  This was alien related.

"Who the heck is Khivar?" he asked.

"Kivar's the guy we fought back home"  Michael replied almost mechanically, he looked shell shocked.

"I thought he was dead," said Liz

"So did we" he said

"What does he want with Maria?" asked Liz

 

"Revenge," replied Michael slowly as the enormity of the situation took a hold of him.  Khivar was evil, psychotic and looking for revenge, he had Maria, he had his Maria.

"Isabel"

"On it" she replied as she turned to Amy, "I need something of Maria's, hair a picture anything"

"Um, I don't have anything-"

"Here," said Michael as he thrust the picture of him and Maria in Vegas into her hands, "use that."

Isabel glanced at it and smiled, lying on Max's lap for support, Michael watched as she stared intently at the picture and her eyes slowly close.

She was going in.

 

Isabel felt the world around her disappearing fast, shrinking until there was nothing but darkness around her.  That meant that Maria was barely conscious, it was easier for her to dream-walk when people were asleep, when they were awake she made an uncomfortable pit stop into a dark void.  The dark slowly morphed into brown, rocks in fact.  The void was turning into a space, consisting of rocks…a cave.   She realised as it materialised.  She was in a cave, it looked like the one which harboured their pods but the walls were glowing green.   Isabel took in the surroundings, it was empty apart from a body huddled in the centre of the far wall.

"Maria" she whispered as she rushed over to her.  Isabel touched her face and immediately pulled away, her sink was cold and she was shivering.

"Isabel?" she asked faintly.

Grabbing her head between her palms, she said, "Maria! it's me Isabel, tell me where you are"

Maria closed her eyes and opened them again, this time she was more awake, "I'm in Roswell," she said her blue eyes alert and hopeful, "Khivar kidnapped me-"

"we know, where exactly are you?"

"I don't know, in one of the caves"

That was too vague, realised Isabel, in the Roswell desert caves were plentiful.

"Anything else?" she asked.

Hesitant, she said, "Uh, when I look up, I can see the North star directly above me".

North Star. Good

"Okay, we can work with that" she said frantically

"how's Michelle is she-"

"she's okay, she's fine but you're not doing so good" she said as she took in the sweat drenched hair and clothes, the bruises on her face and that look of fear in her eyes.

"We're going to get you out Maria I promise just hold on"

Maria's eyes suddenly grew wide, Isabel could see her shrinking into herself,  "He's behind you," she whispered.

Isabel whirled round to see Khivar smiling, "Hello Vilandra or should I say Isabel"

She stood up ready to face him, " Okay," he shrugged, " bye Isabel" he added as she crashed into the cave wall.  Air knocked out of her lungs, the cave vanished suddenly.

 

Michael jumped as Isabel rose up suddenly gasping for air, he bombarded her with questions,  "Is are you okay, what did you see, where's Maria?"

"Easy Michael" said Max, "let her get her breath back."

"She's in Roswell," began Isabel, "in one of those caves"

"There a lot of caves," said Liz

"Only in this one she can see the North star directly above her"

"That doesn't help" said Max

"Yes it does, I know where it is.  Alex told me about it, it's just a few miles out of Fraiser Woods"

"How's Maria?" he asked her

She looked at him for a moment, "We need to get her out of there," she said grimly.

"The next plane to Roswell leaves in about an hour," said Ray

"Okay let's go," said Michael

"I'm coming" said Amy,

"No you're not," said Michael, "you won't do Maria any good being there, you're better off here looking after her daughter"

"Well I'm coming," said Liz, "Michael Maria's my best friend and I'm coming"

Arguing would waste time besides Max would probably back her up and she'd end up going anything, at least this was they would lose time.

"Okay," he nodded.

 

Michael was walking down a long passageway, fear gripped his every movement.  There was something laying there at the end of the corridor.  He knew who it was, he didn't want to go further but his feet led him forward.  The body was limp, like a discarded garbage bag.  Hands shaking Michael rolled it over to see the face he'd permanently embedded in his mind…Maria.  Only it wasn't his Maria, the Maria he'd known years ago or the Maria he'd been rude to.  This Maria wasn't moving, her face was literally black and blue, the only thing that indicated that it was Maria was her matted blond hair and that blue in her eyes-

"Michael" she whispered suddenly.

Michael jumped nearly out of his seat, looking rapidly around him for the lip whispering Maria.  Instead he found the eyes of a very concerned Isabel next to him.

"Michael," she repeated, "you okay?"

"Yeah," he replied sighing with relief, " just a bad dream.  What time is it?"

"We'll be in Roswell in about an hour" she replied.

"Iz," he said suddenly, "when you saw her, was her face…okay?"

"She was pretty bad Michael, but we'll get to her."

"I know" he replied as the black and blue image lingered in his mind.

 

It was afternoon when their rented car screeched to a halt in front of one the caves, which looked exactly like the other few they had driven past except at night this one had the North star shining directly below it at night and in this cave Maria was being held captive by a vindictive, mad vengeful man.

"Okay guys," said Isabel tensely, "how do we play this out?"

The tense determined but fearful look etched on her face was something Michael hadn't seen since they were back on Antar preparing for battle.

"I don't need to say that this is a trap," he heard Liz say.

"Yeah," said Michael as his eyes stayed trained on the entrance. Either way Maria was somewhere in there and he had to get her out.

"Michael," said Max.

"What?"

"We need a vague plan, we do this together, we don't know what or how many Khivar has with him" he added.

Michael nodded, Max level-headed as usual had brought him back from images on his fist smashing into Khivar's face.

"Okay," he began, " We go in together, me and Izzy up front and you and Liz behind" he ordered

"Fine" said Max.

While they climbed up to the entrance all Michael could think about was Maria and what Khivar was doing to her. The pictures filled him with hot red powerful adrenaline.  He was going to get her back and alive. That was the least he could do afterall this was all his fault anyway.

The four stood in front of the entrance.  Michael took a deep breath, muscles taut he looked back to Max whose eyes told him everything he needed to know.  He was ready and they were getting Maria out.  He nodded, "ready Iz?"

"Let's get Maria out" she breathed.

Quietly they descended along a long darkening passageway. 

"Lights anytime soon?" whispered Isabel

"when I can't see the floor, we'll turn them on" he replied.  He couldn't afford to let anything jeopardise Maria's safety.  When he couldn't see the floor, Michael and the others flicked on their flashlights.  Michael increased his pace as they walked deeper into the cave.

"Michael will you slow- ow!"

Michael spun around to see Max on the ground and Liz helping him up.

"What's wrong?"

Max touched the space infront of him and jumped backed when suddenly it crackled to reveal a green jelly like wall blocking their path.

"What is it?" asked Liz

"force field" said Max as he tried to use his powers to break through it.

"It's too strong," he said then looked at Michael, "I can't do it alone."

Michael nodded with understanding, this was their only way out and it needed to be open when he and Maria came back.

"Okay, Iz, you stay here and bring down the field.  I'll go get Maria"

Isabel nodded and squeezed his arm softly, "be careful"

Michael nodded and continued along the passage way until the echoes of Max and Isabel's efforts to bring down the force field had faded.

He was alone. 

He was Maria's only hope and he wasn't about to let her down when all of this was technically his fault.  Him and his proneness to anger or run away instead of staying.  As he turned a corner he pressed his palm against the cool stone until it glowed red, then moved on.