Part 13

Maria couldn't stop her body from shaking, she was shivering so bad the bed was vibrating. Michael sat beside her on the bed and watched as the shudder's rippd through her, he realized she was in shock. He was smart enough to know that he had to keep her warm, so he had tucked the sheet and blanket around her as tight as he could, but it didn't seem to be helping.

"Michael, I'm c..can't s..stop s..s..shaking." Maria's voice was raspy, making it hard for him to understand. He spread out next to her and pulled her into his arms, he remembered something from one of the few science classes that he had attended, body warmth. If he could just control the muscle spasm's he was having, he could warm her up.

"It's going to be ok Maria, just hold on to me," Michael tried to will his warmth into her. As he held her he realized she wasn't cold, in-fact she was burning up. He felt the heat radiating off of her.

"Why is this h..happ..pening. W..why are th..they doing th..this?" Maria couldn't stop her teeth from chattering.

"Cause their sick and sadistically that's why, they get off on this kind of shit." Michael told her, "I don't think Yeager gives a damn what planet I was born on, he just wants to watch us squirm."

Maria could feel the heat coming off of Michael's body, even through the blankets it enveloped her, surrounded her, she could feel it spreading through her body mixing with the strange heat that felt like it was pouring out of her soul. "I'm s..s..sorry M..michael."

"Shhh, you have nothing to be sorry for. You handled yourself so damn well out there." Michael said. "I was proud of you Maria. Watching you, the way you stood up to him, if you could do it, so could I. Hell, you made me keep my anger in check. I should be thanking you."

She snuggled closer to him, "b..but I..I moved, if..f I w..wouldn't have moved he w..wouldn't have done th..that to you."

Michael clenched his teeth as another spasm ripped through his left thigh muscle. "N..no, he would have just found another reason. He was playing with us Maria. It's what he does, what he gets off on."

Maria raised her eyes to Michael's, a tear fell from the corner of her eye and disappeared into her hair. "I..I th..thought he w..was going to r..rape me."

Michael reached up and wiped the trail of wetness from her face, he didn't know what to say, he had thought the exact same thing. He realized that if Yeager had raped Maria, he would be dead now, his anger would have gotten him killed. He knew that there was no way he could have handled that.

"Shhh, just go to sleep ok, we'll talk about it tomorrow, just sleep now." Michael told her.

"C..can't sleep." Maria said. The heat was making her spiral out of control, the shaking wouldn't stop and she felt nervous, jumpy. She kept rubbing her feet together, soon her knees joined the motion. Her legs were sliding up and down, brushing against each other.

"M..michael, something's wrong, I don't know h..how to ex..explain it. I n..need something." Maria moaned.

He raised his head and looked down into her face, he could see the anxiety in her eyes. They had left the lights off, only the night lights that they used during their sleeping hours were on. The soft light caused the shadows to jump acrossed the walls as he moved. "What's the matter, what is it?"  

"I d..don't know." Maria withdrew her arms from the blankets and reached out for him. He took her back into his arms. "Hold me, please Michael j..just hold me."

He had thought the heat coming off her was bad, but without the blankets between them Michael realized she was burning up. He took one hand and pushed her damp hair away from her face. "Maria, do you hurt anywhere, are you in pain?"

"Yessss…n..no, it's n..not a pain, I j..just need you to hold me." She clutched him to her, tighter than Michael thought possible. Her arms were like steel wrapped around him. He could feel her body moving, constantly moving."Lie still Maria, you've got to relax." Michael was out of his element here, he needed Max, but the doors were still locked, and he had yelled for Max and Isabelle earlier but no one had responded.

Releasing him, she reached down and shoved the blankets off of her, she immediately rolled back and wrapped her arms around his body; as she brought him against her body he felt the dampness of the bed, the sweat was rolling off her body. They hadn't bothered giving her any clothes when they returned them to their cell, he looked down and saw the light glistening off her naked hips.

"Michael I..I need you to t..touch me, p..please." Maria brought her mouth to his neck, she lashed her tongue over his Adams apple. He felt her nails digging into the tops of his shoulders.

"Ah, Maria, I don't think we should be doing this, I, ah…I mean we have to stop." Michael didn't want to stop, but he realized this is what the oil had done. It was some kind of aphrodisiac, this wasn't what Maria really wanted or needed right now. He gripped her arms and brought them down between them, keeping them apart. "You don't really want me, it's the oil, remember, the oil that Yeager put on you. It's not you talking, it's the drug.""But I've always w..wanted you, every since the first time you k..kissed me, I've dreamed about t..this." She fought him, all she could think about was getting her arms around him again. She needed to feel his body against hers, she wanted him to touch her.

"No, Maria, it's the drug." Michael rolled over and stared at her, he could hear her uneven breathing, he could see her breast rising and falling with each intake of air. He closed his eyes and pictured her laying there, all wet and naked. <God, don't do this to me, I can't handle this.>

Maria took the few seconds that he had rolled away from her to return her hands to his body. She ran her hands up his chest, around his neck. "Don't you w..want me?"

Not want her, hell, he wanted her more than ever, but he couldn't do this. He couldn't take advantage of her like this. He felt himself harden inside of his scrubs, he willed his body under control.

Maria saw the evidence right in-front of her, she reached down to the cloth that was tented over his groin. She pressed his erection down to his stomach and gently squeezed her fingers around it. Michael couldn't control his body as he moved his hips slightly, he couldn't stop his legs from cramping again.

Maria cried out, "Michael I n..need you. Please?"

Her heard the passion in her voice, he realized he had stopped breathing when she had taken hold of him. He reached down and grabbed her wrist, he couldn't believe this, he had a naked woman in his bed, and not just any woman. Maria DeLuca, the only woman that he had ever wanted, wanted to get close too, wanted to tell all his secrets too. Sometimes he had the crazy idea that he wanted to crawl inside of her and never come out. Who cared if she talked to damn much, who cared that she constantly drove him crazy. Those are the things that had attracted him to her in the first place.

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted when she pulled her arm out of his grasp and grabbed him by the hips and rolled him over on top of her. He didn't have time to react. Reaching out with his arms to steady himself he felt her legs circle around his hips, felt the heat pouring off of her, wrapping them both in a tight cocoon. Her arms moved up under his, he felt her nails again, digging in deeper this time. He couldn't stop himself, he moaned. Looking down into her face, he thought she looked fierce, almost feral. There was almost an animalistic look in her eyes. Maybe he should have been frightened, but he wasn't, it excited him to see her like this. She was totally out of control. He felt his cock harden even more, felt her push her hips up and into him.

"I want you. Now, I don't care if it's real or not for you, I don't care how you feel about me. I want you inside of me…NOW!" Maria snarled at him, reaching down she grasp him in her hand, pushing and prodding, trying to get him inside of her. The hold she had on him almost hurt. She was clutching him tightly. He couldn't believe it, couldn't comprehend her acting like this. But at the same time he couldn't have stopped himself now if he wanted to. He felt himself slide into her, felt the warmth, the wetness. His lips opened and a sound came out, it was totally undisquishable, it made no sense, but Maria didn't care, all she cared about was getting him inside of her. She slammed her hips up at the same moment her hand clutched the globes of his ass and pulled as hard as she could. Michael couldn't stop her, he felt her tear, felt her jerk in pain. He looked down at her, her eyes were clenched shut. Tears ran down the sides of her face, collecting in the small interior of her ears."Maria, Oh My God, are you alright?" Michael couldn't understand why she had done that. Why cause herself such pain?

She never answered him, she raised her hips and started grinding them into him. He tried to slow her down, tried to gain control, but he was helpless, she was the one in-charge, the one in total domination. Michael closed his eyes and slammed down into her, he didn't know if he was hurting her, but she didn't seem to care. She clawed her hands up his back, pulling him down on top of her. Their bodies pounded into each other, over and over again, relentlessly.

Michael felt a tightening, this was happening way too fast, but there was no way he could stop it.

He felt Maria shudder and he could feel the ripples of release as she tightened on him. It was enough to bring on his release. Clasping each other as tightly as possible they trembled violently as it washed over their bodies.

As the quivering subsided all you could hear was their breathing as it echoed in the room. Michael felt Maria raise her hips again, she pressed herself to him over and over again. He had to stop her, it was too much, too soon.

"Maria stop, you have to stop." Michael pleaded with her.

"I can't, it's not enough, I need more, please touch me Michael I need to feel you touch me." He could hear the frustration laced through her voice. He realized she was still under the effects of the oil, still feeling the sexual tension that was driving through her body. He reached down with one hand and cupped her between her legs, he felt himself dislodge out of her.

He rolled to his side, using his fingers he tried to sooth the ache away. He found the small nub of flesh, he started circling it with his fingers. "I'll help you, but you need to relax, you need to calm down." He cupped the top of her head with his other hand and brought his lips down to hers, he had just made love to her and had never touched her lips once. He corrected that now, rubbing his lips back and forth acrossed hers, she moaned into his mouth. He pushed his tongue into her mouth and twisted it around hers. Their tongues battled as he drove her higher and higher with his fingers. So close, she was so damn close. Just a little more. Michael moved his mouth down her chin, acrossed her collarbone and took her nipple into his mouth, sucking hard he drove one finger into her, harder, as she clawed at his body.

It wasn't enough for Maria she needed more, "Bite it," she pleaded with him. "Please bite me Michael."

Michael bite down gently, but it still wasn't enough, he felt her hands pulling his head into her chest, trying to bring him even closer. He pulled his fingers out of her and pulled her legs around until he was between them. He lowered his mouth to her, driving his tongue inside of her, as deep as he could go.

Maria screamed his name and came up off the bed, a small part of her mind remembered her dream, remembered him using his mouth on her, it was enough, she felt her muscles clench, felt herself floating above the bed. Holding her eyes closed she rode out the storm. When she opened her eyes she couldn't see anything for a few moments. When her eyes finally adjusted to the dim room she looked down and caught Michael staring up at her, she slid her arms under his and pulled him up the bed. Taking her into his arms he reached over and pulled the covers over them.

He heard her mumble something, "What?" he ask her.

"It was better than the dream," she said as she drifted off to sleep.

Part 14

Kyle leaned back against the wall of the cell, he pulled the blanket tighter around him. <damn it was cold in here> All the lights were still off. He could make out Isabelle's shape on the bed in the dim generator lights. She'd been tossing and turning all night, every once in a while she would make a sound, almost like a moan. Twice Kyle had almost reached up and shaken her awake to see if she was ok. But he was afraid she would just freak out on him. After last night she had been pretty jumpy, almost to the breaking point. Hell, she had held up pretty damn good for everything that had happened to them in the last month. At least he thought it was a month, it could have been longer, he wasn't sure.

Hell, he figured they all had held up pretty good, under the circumstances.

He shivered again, damn he should have ask for another blanket this morning before all hell had broken loose. But they hadn't exactly been expecting Yeager and his little rack of pain. He still didn't know exactly what had happened, but seeing Michael strapped to that thing could not mean anything good.

A click was heard and Kyle was able to make things out in the other room, which meant they had unlocked their cells and turned off the darkening switch to their doors.

Kyle decided since he was already awake and freezing he would go take a shower, that might take the chill out of his bones. He stood up and with the blanket still wrapped around him stepped through the door and headed for the shower room.

Isabelle slowly rolled over and watched him until he was out of sight. She had been dreaming about him again. She couldn't understand what was happening to her. Whenever she was with Kyle she wanted to just reach out and hold him. All day long she wanted him to touch her. And tonight her dreams had been hot, so hot that she had wanted to crawl off the bed and throw herself at him. She didn't feel that way about him. In the last few weeks they had become closer, hell they weren't really given a choice. But this all fired passion she was feeling for him just didn't seem right. She didn't understand it. <I should go and see what he is doing> NO! She pushed the thought down in her head. What the hell was the matter with her. She pulled the pillow over her head and moaned. Why, why was this happening. She heard the panel that enclosed the shower room opening. He was going to take a shower, at this time of the night? Or maybe he just had to use the bathroom, that's all, he'll be back in a few moments. <why are you so worried about him, you should be worried about Michael and Maria, not Kyle, he wasn't tortured by Yeager tonight, they were>

Isabelle laid there and let the happenings of the day meander through her brain, she wondered what they had done to Maria and Michael, wondered if they were all right. Maybe she should go and check on them. She threw the covers back and stood up. Trying to be as quiet as possible she slipped out of the cell and walked to the back of the room. She could barely make out the shapes of Max and Liz huddled in the middle of their bed, one large form under covers were all she could make out. As she approached Room B she could see Michael and Maria. Michael was on his back, he had one arm thrown over his head, Maria was curled into his side, a sheet was thrown over both of them. As she stood and watched, Michael shuddered, Maria reached up and pulled herself closer to him. He turned and nestled her more into his body.

Isabelle felt like she had been punched in the gut. They looked so right laying there wrapped around one another. It just brought it home to her that she was alone, and would probably always be alone. She turned her head and stared at the shower room door.

Kyle had turned the water up as hot as he could get it. The water sluiced down over his body, slowly taking away the chill. The damn tile was so cold, no matter how he laid he got cold. As he let the warmth seep through him, he thought he heard something behind him. He turned and saw Isabelle standing in the doorway. She looked like she was still asleep. He turned and walked across the floor slowly; he didn't want to startle her. He reached up and grabbed a towel off the rack and covered himself. "Izzy?"

"I don't want to be alone." She said.

"Do you want me to get Max?" he questioned.

"No," she moved closer to him. "I don't know what I want. I have all these feelings running through me and I don't understand them."

"Iz, maybe you should go back to bed," Kyle felt uncomfortable standing there dripping all over the floor, he didn't understand what was wrong, he didn't know how to handle this Isabelle.

She moved until she stood directly in front of him, her eyes dropped to the towel he was holding in front of himself. She didn't know why, but she reached out and grasped the towel, Kyle felt her give it a small tug. He gripped it tighter, but she persisted and the towel came away in her hands. She looked at his naked form for a few seconds, then raised her eyes to his. They both stood there staring at each other, neither of them knowing what was happening.

She didn't ask him, she told him what she wanted. "I want you to make love to me."

"What?" Kyle was astonished, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Everyday she let him know in no uncertain terms that co-habituating with him was not on her list favorite topics. And now out of the blue she springs this on him. "Isabelle, I don't understand what the hell your trying to pull here, but I think you should just go back to bed. I'm not in the mood for any games tonight."

"It's not a game," she reached out and laid her palm on his cheek. He felt so warm, so alive, and she felt so dead inside. Maybe, just maybe if she got close to him she could feel alive again.

"Please Kyle, make love to me?" She brought herself closer to him, pressing her ample breast into his chest. She felt him stiffen as she put her arms around him. He could feel her hard nipples rubbing against him.  

"Ah…did you forget you can't stand me?" he asked her.She turned her face up to his and he could see the tears forming in her eyes.

"Oh God Isabelle." He brought his arms up and gathered her to him. His heart broke at the look of despair that was in her eyes.

"Make me feel Kyle, put your hands on me and make me feel something, anything." She begged him. The tears were falling fast now, her breath was coming out in sobs. She reached down and fondled him. She felt him laying soft and flaccid against her hand. <he doesn't want me.> But in the next second she felt him harden, felt his cock twitch against her fingers. She felt a dampness spreading in the crotch of her pants. She felt a clenching in her womb, an insistent throbbing.

Kyle prepared to take her back to the room, he had to get a grip on himself here, this wasn't right, something wasn't right here. He placed his hands on her shoulders in order to gently push her away from him, but before he could, he felt her lips pressing to his, felt her tongue slipping past his lips and into his mouth. <God she felt good.>

Kyle lost all train of thought, everything that he knew quietly slipped away to be replaced with the feelings of Isabelle's month and tongue. The hands that had been preparing to push her away now brought her closer. He wrapped his hands around her back and gently trailed his fingers down her spine.

From the moment Kyle had started returning her kiss Isabelle went up in flames. She burned, from the center of her womb outward. Her skin tingled where he touched her, his fingers felt like feathers gliding up and down her back. The more he touched her the hotter she burned. <why, why am I feeling this way> The thought was fleeting, there one minute and gone the next.

He grasped his hands under her bottom and pulled her up onto him. He could feel her rubbing herself against his naked body. Her hands were everywhere on him, moving up and down his chest, his back. He turned and leaned her against the wall.

"Isabelle…yes, touch me…yes." Kyle groaned out. He had to touch her, but he couldn't hold her up at the same time. They slowly slid to the floor, never taking their hands off of each other. As they came to rest against the cold tile floor Kyle pushed his hand down the waistband of her pants, the elastic gave way easily and he was touching her. His fingers glided over her curls, down into the wet, warmth of her. He placed two fingers over her clit and drew small little circles around it.She enclosed his cock in her hand and squeezed with her fingers, but it wasn't what he wanted. He reached down and showed her how to move him, pumping his erection up and down, moving her hand from the base to the tip and back down again. During the entire process their lips had never broken contact, never left each other.

Isabelle drew her hand up his neck and into his hair, she gripped the strands through her fingers and pulled him closer, she had to get closer. <Oh My God, what's happening to me>

The only sound in the room was the water raining down on the floor, soon their ragged breaths could be heard, faster and faster as they tried to fill their lungs up with enough air and not lose the precious contact. Suddenly a shrill feminine cry filled the room and echoed off the ceramic tile. Kyle pulled Isabelle tighter to him as he felt both of them reach orgasm at the same time. Her hand slowed, lessening her grip but not releasing him. Kyle continued to gently circle his fingers on her. Finally Isabelle released him and placed her hand over his. He stopped.

Kyle pulled away from her and leaned against the wall. He noticed the towel laying on the floor, at their feet. He bent over and picked it up, turning he pulled Isabelle into his lap and placed the towel around her.

They sat in silence for a few moments. Then Isabelle ask the question that was looming in her mind. "Why didn't you make love to me."

"I did…sorta, but I don't think you really wanted me to…well…" He tried to think of a delicate way to put it. "I didn't think you wanted to go that far.""I wanted to, I just don't understand why I wanted to." She sounded confused. "I mean, I like you Kyle; in the last few weeks I've been able to see a different side to you. I've stopped seeing you as the enemy a long time ago. But I don't feel that way about you."

He pulled the towel around her shoulders, tucking it in between his chest and her. "When did you start having these weird thoughts?"

"I don't know, I guess this afternoon, I had this dream and it was hot, I mean really hot," Kyle watched as a blush slowly came to Isabelle's cheeks as she spoke. "And another dream tonight, right before you left our room."

"After your session with Topolsky right?" Kyle ask her.

"Yeah, I guess it was, why?" Isabelle could see something forming in his eyes.

"I think she did something to you. Something that made you…change your mind about me. She messed with your mind." Kyle told her.A look of anger swept across Isabelle's face. "That Bitch!"

"She probably did the same thing with Liz, I think that's why Yeager was all over Maria and Michael." Kyle laid his theory out for her. "Maria never went to Topolsky's office." Remember, Yeager came and started his game. I think it's all part of some psychological game their playing with us. To bring us together. Making us participate in their little experiments."

"And I fell right into their trap," She looked up at him. "I think Michael and Maria did too. I was watching them before I came in here. They were in bed, together. I don't know why but I think they made love. I just got that impression looking at them."

"I wonder what that bastard did to them, did they look hurt?" Kyle ask.

"No, not hurt, but they looked broken, sorta like they were exhausted. And Michael was twitching every few minutes, like chills were running up and down his spine." Isabelle told him.

They sat in silence for a for minutes, then Isabelle ask him something she was wondering about for quite awhile. "Kyle why did you try and help us? Why did you come to the Crashdown that night?"

He smiled down into her face, "I can't believe no one has ask me that yet. I kept waiting, wondering what I was going to say, cause I'll be honest with you Iz, I have no freakin idea why. I heard my father and Topolsky talking in his office. At first I didn't understand what the hell they were talking about. Aliens, who the hell believes in aliens, but then Topolsky mentioned you and Max by name. Topolsky was saying how the "plan" would go down. When I heard her mention the FBI, I thought "no freakin way."

"But you still tried to helped us?" Isabelle looked a little skeptical. "I thought you would be happy to have Max out of the way. You two weren't exactly friends."

"Yeah, that's what I thought to." He replied. "They said they would wait for you until you were on your way home, take you then. Michael was going to be taken from his house. I just thought that they were nuts, you know, my dad has had a problem with this crap for years, but here was a school guidance counselor and she was talking like it was true. She was talking about "rounding you all up" like you were cattle or something. But then they mentioned Liz and Maria. Topolsky said they had to be quarantined, had to be checked out to see if you three had "infected" them in any way. I didn't even think about it, I got out of there and drove to the Crashdown as fast as I could.

"I can't believe you went against your father, for us." Isabelle told him.

"I never thought of it that way. I just knew that Liz could possibly be hurt, and I didn't want that to happen." Kyle replied. Thinking about his dad caused an ache to appear in his chest, he wondered what had happened to him. How were they treating him, and was he here in this complex with them, or someplace else.

Isabelle could tell he was thinking about his dad, so she decided to change the subject. "You know I think that sitting here on the floor is not a good idea, you're probably going to catch a cold her something."

"Try sleeping on it for a few weeks, then we'll talk" Kyle said. "By the way, am I returning to the floor tonight?"

She smiled shyly, "no, you can sleep with me in the bed, but I don't think…""This isn't going to happen again, I know. I like you Iz, don't get me wrong, but I wouldn't want to sleep with you just because Topolsky put the thoughts in your head." Kyle told her. "Now, when we get out of here, and you want to talk about it then, well…ouch…what was that for?"Isabelle rubbed her knuckles, his chest was rock hard, hitting him had caused them to sting. "I don't sleep around, I've never slept with anyone actually."

"It's kinda fun if you do it right." Kyle smirked.  

"It's was you wasn't it, you're the non-virgin of our little group?" Isabelle sounded shocked.

"It was only one time, I had just made my first touchdown, thought I was really something, she was one of the cheerleaders, I thought she really liked me. Turned out I was nothing but something to brag about to all her friends." Kyle said, she could hear the pain in his voice.

"One of the cheerleaders…yuck." Isabelle's couldn't contain her curiosity, "who?""Angie Myers." Kyle said.

"That ho, the whole football team had her." Isabelle twisted her lips up. "She's a sleaze, you could do better than that."

"I know that now, but when you're a freshman and you've never had any, your not exactly thinking straight." Kyle started pushing his way up the wall. "I better get you back to bed before you end up getting sick. This floor is cold."

"Never been sick, actually none of us has ever been sick a day in our lives." She bragged. "And if we would get sick, we'd just heal ourselves."

"Heal yourselves, like when Max healed Liz in the diner?" She nodded her head. "What else can you do?" Kyle ask her.

"Well, when we get out of here you don't want to tick me off, cause I can do some really wicked things to you in your dreams." She said looping her arms around his neck. As they went to step through the door Isabelle placed her hand on the doorframe. "Ah…Kyle don't you think you should put some clothes on?"Kyle's eyes lit up as he realized he was still naked. Lowering her feet to the floor he shook his head, "you made me forget."

"I made you forget, right, blame me." Isabelle told him as she watched him walk to the shower and turn the water off. He stepped to the rack and pulled a fresh tank top and scrubs off the shelf. She watched his backside as he dressed.

"Isabelle?" Kyle said over his shoulder.

"Yes Kyle?" She was trying to keep a serious expression on her face.

"Quit staring at my butt."

Part 15

The lights were suddenly thrown on, Max threw his feet to the floor, after yesterday he didn't know what to expect today. He glanced at Kyle across the room and they both had the same look in their eyes. They were mentally preparing themselves for whatever would happened today.

Topolsky entered the room, she was practically glowing. She walked from cell to cell, glancing at all her little caged rats. "I'd like to congratulate all of you. You've helped us complete Phase I of our project. And in celebration I'm giving you the day off. No games today kiddies."

"Go to hell." This from Michael, his face showed exactly what he thought of her .

"Well Mr. Guerin I can understand your sentiments, I mean Mr. Yeager was a little rough yesterday, but he did help us achieve our goal." She moved closer to him. "And you got laid so what are you bitching about."

She walked to the center of the room. Throwing her arms into the air she said. "You all got lucky last night, so why all the glum faces?"

She turned to Room C, "well sorta lucky, right Mr. Valenti. You're gonna have to work on your approach, but hey, you're half way there. Just because you know what I did, doesn't mean its going to go away. You can both fight it if you want. But in the end she'll give in. I've locked my suggestions into her and Ms. Parker's minds. They can't ignore them anymore than you can ignore me. Well I'm off, I have a very large report to make, telling my superiors all about our wonderful happy existence here in…what did you call it Mr. Guerin… Happy Acres Home for Wayward Aliens."She turned and walked out through the door.  

Max and Liz stepped out of their rooms, Liz heading towards Maria, she didn't know if she wanted to face Max right now, she was a little embarrassed about the way she had acted last night. She had been totally out of control. She hadn't been herself. Halfway there Isabelle saw her and joined her. The walked into the room and saw Michael pulling the blankets around Maria. The girl was awake but she seemed lifeless, exhausted.

"Don't let her get out of this bed, do you hear me. You can talk to her, but she's not getting up." He issued the orders as he headed out the door.

Michael walked into the mainroom, he headed for the chairs lined up against the wall, they hadn't returned the tables to them, but they could still use the chairs. He took two of the folding chairs and set them up. Kyle walked up and grabbed two more, with Max's help they soon had all six chairs sitting in a circle in the middle of the room. The three men sat down. They didn't speak, just sat staring at the floor, the walls, anything but each other.

"So we all did it." Michael finally said. "After everything that's happened to us what the hell could you expect."

"Speak for yourself, Izzy and I didn't exactly do it…we sorta just messed around a bit." Kyle said in his defense."What the hell was she talking about, what did she put in Liz and Izzy's minds?" Michael ask.

Kyle sat up, leaning his arms on his knees he said, "Suggestions, stuff about wanting to actually…do it. Isabelle and I figured it out last night.""I thought that's what it was, but I wasn't sure. From some of the things the girls said yesterday I had been wondering." Max said. "And Liz wasn't exactly herself last night."

"So now what, cause I'm gonna be perfectly honest with you, there's only one good thing in this place for me, and she's in our bed right now. I'm not gonna stop being with her. Hell, Max I couldn't stop if I wanted to." Michael said in one long breathe.

"I know, I'm not going to ask you to stop. I think that would be a waste of my time and yours." Max told him, "but I think we should take some precautions. We have to at least think of the consequences here. I don't think we should…complete the act inside of them. Last night a lot of things we're going down, we we're all caught up in the moment. But from now on we have to think with our heads straight about this.""I agree." Michael said. They both turned to Kyle.

"Hey, I told you we didn't do it. We just got a little carried away, I did not make love to Isabelle. We've agreed that it's not going to happen again." Kyle told them.

"Are you sleeping in the same bed with her?" Michael ask.

"Well yeah, but…" Kyle didn't get to finish."Your gonna do it. Just give it some time." Michael told him.

Kyle turned to Max, "I swear Evans I am not going to have sex with your sister."

"Kyle nobody is accusing you of anything." Max replied.

"Max!" Liz shouted. "Maria's sick."

The men got up and ran to the cell. Liz was wiping Maria's face with a towel while Isabelle kneeled on the floor cleaning up the mess Maria had made. The girl sat on the edge of the bed, she had the sheet wrapped around her naked body.

"Maria, what's the matter?" Michael skirted his way around the back of the bed and kneeled behind the young girl.

"I feel so dizzy, I think it was the drug, I can't stop my head from spinning." Maria said through clenched teeth.

"What drug?" Max asked.

"Yeager used some kind of oil, he rubbed it on her body, it…made her…excited." Michael replied. "We think it was drugs of some kind.""Excited? What do you mean excited." Max questioned. "It made me horny. Ok." Maria shouted. "And he put Michael up on that thing, he made him watch as he rubbed this oil all over me. If I moved he would shock Michael. I tried to stand still but I couldn't. He sent currents of electricity shooting through Michael's body. And…and afterwards the oil made me want…Michael.""Hey, calm down, I'm alright, I'm not even having muscle spasms anymore. I'm fine. Just calm down." Reaching up he pushed the hair that was clinging to Maria's forehead back off of her face. "You should have seen her, she was so damn beautiful out there, she never let him get to her. She stayed cool, real cool."

Max and Isabelle exchanged looks, they had never heard Michael speak this way, never heard him actually compliment another the way he had just complimented Maria.

"I can imagine the words that were coming out of your mouth. Are Yeager's ears ringing this morning?" Isabelle ask Michael.

"No, he never said a word to him. He didn't lose his temper at all. He was more calm than I was."" Maria said, the dizziness was almost gone, and her stomach had finally settled down.

Max couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You never said a word to him?"

Michael looked at his friend and replied. "Hey, if she could hold it together, so could I. Bit a hole threw my lip trying to keep my mouth shut."

Maria stood up and told Isabelle she would help her remove the soiled towels. Isabelle pulled the towels out of her reach. "Just forget it, I'll take care of these, you just get back into bed." She left the room to dispose of the towels. She figured she would put them in the shower room.

Maria didn't like that idea at all. "I'm fine now, I don't need to….OH MY GOD! She feel to her knees clutching her lower abdomen, the sheet shifted and her breast were exposed. Moans came pouring out of her mouth. "Awww….""Maria!" Michael dropped to his knees beside her, he pulled her into his arms. "What's the matter?"  

Liz knelt down on her other side, she didn't know what to do. She gathered the sheet back over her, covering her back up. She turned to Max, "What's the matter with her?"

Kyle turned and yelled for Isabelle.

The main door was suddenly thrown open and Topolsky entered with three technicians; two of them were pushing a gurney.

"Everybody back to their cells, immediately. NOW, get the hell out of the way." The woman shouted as she pushed her way into the cell. Pushing Liz out of the way she dropped to her knees beside Maria. "Where does it hurt, tell me."

"My stomach," Maria yelled. "God, it feels like I'm being ripped apart."

"Mr. Guerin please, get out of the way." Topolsky screamed at him.

Michael had no intentions of leaving Maria. Two of the technicians grabbed him under the arms and pulled him away from the girl. The other tech picked Maria up off the floor and started to carry her to the gurney. Isabelle came running out of the shower room. Kyle grabbed her and pulled her behind him. Max stepped in-front of the man carrying Maria.

"Where are you taking her?" Michael screamed from the cell.

Topolsky faced Max. "Mr. Evans, we have to take her to Dr. Hanson, if you would kindly inform Mr. Guerin that she has to see the doctor."

"Why can't he come here?" Max demanded.

"If you care about this girl at all, you will get out of our way and let us do our job." Topolsky told him. "Believe me, we aren't going to hurt her, if I'm correct in my suspicions, she's the most important thing in this whole damn experiment right now."

"What is it, what's the matter with her?" Michael screamed.

"What do you think is wrong with her?" Liz said.

"I think she's pregnant." Topolsky stated. "Now please if we don't get her to Dr. Hanson immediately we may lose her."

Max stepped out of the way. "If anything happens to her…""I'm in full agreement with you, nothing will happen to her. We'll protect her with our lives." Topolsky said as she helped the technician push Maria towards the door.

"MICHAEL!!" Maria screamed.

"No, don't let them take her Max, don't let her take her." Michael shouted. He struggled to get away from the men who were holding him. But they were stronger than him. Having been tortured hours before he was still too weak to fight them.

As Topolsky and Maria disappeared through the door, the technicians let Michael go and ran to follow them. The door shut with a resounding bang.  

Michael dropped to his hands and knees. "She can't be pregnant, it was only a few hours ago, how can this be happening."

"Michael we don't know anything about our species, nothing about conception, birth, nothing." Isabelle said quietly as she watched him rock back and forth on his knees. She wanted to go to him, wrap her arms around him, but she didn't think he would accept it. Not in the mood he was in. You could feel the anger radiating off of him, anger and fear. He was scared for Maria.

-*****-

Maria didn't return, no matter how much Michael yelled and screamed no one came to answer his pleas. After a few days his shouting ceased. After a few weeks he stopped talking.  

A black cloud hung over the five young people in the holding cells. Michael stayed in his room, he ate his meals sitting on the side of his bed. The tables had been returned to them, Max, Liz, Kyle and Isabelle ate their meals at the table, but very little was said.

Michael didn't sleep much. He just lay on the bed that he had shared with Maria, staring at the ceiling. Waiting, hoping they would return her to him. If someone spoke to him he didn't answer, he couldn't. He only showered when they turned the lights off at night.

After lights out you could hear the whispers, the quiet voices in the dark as Max and Liz held each other through the long nights, they spoke of things that they didn't understand, of better days and walking in the sunlight again. They stroked and petted each other to completion, but they never succumbed to the need to be together again.

Kyle and Isabelle tried to fight Isabelle's cravings, but they always returned, especially in the darkness when they lay side by side in their bed. Kyle always treated her gently, slowly removing the ache with his hands or mouth, but never did he take her, not even when she begged him too.

They knew it was too dangerous. They had given in once, but never again.

Topolsky never came to see them anymore, no mind games where played on them, Yeager and his tools weren't seen again. As the weeks went by no one even missed them.

-*****-

Zane Shearer sat at his monitor watching the five young people in the holding cells, he turned to another monitor and watched the young girl thrash on the bed, she had monitors hooked up to her, she looked like she had sprouted cords and wires from her body. She had been unconscious for two days now. For weeks she had courageously fought off the pain that continuously racked her small body. The pain only lessened when they drugged her, but Dr. Hanson had told Topolsky today that it couldn't go on, they were losing her, and losing the child she carried. Zane knew she was only six weeks pregnant, but her swollen body told another tale. Ultrasounds had shown that the fetus was approximately four or five months along. Topolsky argued that if they could keep the child alive for another two weeks they could probably save it. The mother was a forgotten issue. She was expendable.

It was time, he couldn't wait any longer. If they weren't ready on their end so what, he had to get these kids out of here now. He glanced at the door; no one would be here for another six hours. He reached down into his boot and pulled out the device. Instead of the same message that he had sent for over two months now, he tapped another set of numbers into the small box. [NOW] He knew that he had to be ready in five hours. This was their only chance.

Part 16

He had checked the monitors over and over again. They were all sleeping. He had run through the computer program until it was imprinted on his eyelids. He had a little under one hour. Zane Shearer knew it was now or never. He pulled the program up one last time, he wanted it ready for when he returned to this room, after that he wouldn't have much time.

He stepped through the control room door, he voiced his code number. The buzzing stopped and the lights went off. He walked to the third door on the left. He knew who he would find in that room. He slowly drew the Walther PPK out of his boot. Reese hadn't wanted him to bring it, thought it was too dangerous. But he wasn't walking into that room defenseless. Not against that bitch, he didn't trust her.

The door gave a slight creak as he opened it. Topolsky was bent over Maria DeLuca as she lay moaning on the bed, she looked up at the sound. "Mr. Shearer, is there a problem?"

"Yeah, I'm afraid so." Zane replied. He brought the gun up, pointing it directly at her heart.

Topolsky straightened, with a look of disbelief she snapped at him. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Zane looked around the small room, "where's Dr. Hanson?"

Hearing his name. The doctor poked his head out of the bathroom door, he saw the gun. "Oh my."

"Get out here, now, doctor. I'm going to need your assistance," he used his free hand to point at two folded wheelchairs parked against the wall. "Unfold both of them doctor. Ms. Topolsky if you would do me the honor of parking your ass in the first one. Pull the other one next to the bed."

The thin blonde woman smiled. "You're kidding right, there is no way your getting out of here, especially with her. There are too many guards, too many checkpoints. Why don't we just talk about this…Zane."She's good Zane thought, the bitch knows how to play her head games, making it personal, hell, she'd never called him by his first name in the last two years they had worked together. Reese had worked it into his head over and over again, do not communicate with them. Speak as little as possible.

Zane wished Reese was here now. They had known that this would probably happen one day and he had to be ready, but talking and planning for this wasn't the same as actually pointing a weapon at someone and bringing all their plans to consummation.

The doctor had the chair up in no time, which amazed Zane, usually he was a klutz. Zane still had trouble believing that someone actually had assigned him to this project.

"Sit." He motioned with the gun for Topolsky to get into the chair.  

She reluctantly sat down. "I'm only doing this because we both realize you're not going anywhere. This will all be over in a few minutes." She sighed as if she was bored by the whole proceeding.

Zane picked up a roll of sterilized tape and tossed it to Dr. Hanson, "strap her in, and for God's sake tape her mouth shut. The doctor did as he was told, he didn't do it too gently either. Zane believed the doc was working all his frustrations out on her for all the times she had talked down to him.

When he had her tied securely, Zane told him to removed the cords and wires from Maria. As soon as he had all the wires removed, without being told he placed Maria in the other chair, using the straps to keep her secure. Zane checked his watch, thirty-five minutes left. "Ok, doc your driving, lets go."

Maria had started moaning and shifting around in the chair. Zane reached down and felt her forehead.

"Her fever is pretty high, are you sure about this, if you remove her from this facility she could die." The doctor's voice actually sounded like he cared.

"She won't die." Zane replied simply. "Let's move, back to the holding cells."

The doctor pushed the chair out of the room, Zane followed, he could hear Topolsky mumbling behind the tape as he tugged the door closed behind him. When they reached the controlroom door Zane gave his clearance, the door opened and as soon as they stepped through it, the buzzing was heard from the corridor again. Zane walked to the control panel and started flipping switches. The lights came on in the holding cells, the occupants never bother to get out of their beds to see what was happening.

"Can you really get them out of here?" Dr. Hanson ask him. "I mean to say, I hope you can get them out. This isn't right, when I first started on this project it was different, it was like…" he couldn't continue, he lowered his eyes to the floor."Like they weren't really people to you doc? Is that what your trying to say? What about the man in fifty-nine, what about him." Zane was still flipping switches, he really didn't have time for this, but he continued, he couldn't stop the anger from creeping into his voice, and the doctor heard it loud and clear. "You did your little experiments on him didn't you, you didn't have a conscience then doc."

Dr. Hanson's head jerked up, "you're right, but it was different then, he was a grown man. These are just children, I can't condone what she's done to them."

"Well, here's your chance to make up for it." Zane flipped the last switch, he watched as the counter started. Fifteen minutes and counting down. He ran to the door and opened it, the doctor wheeled Maria through the doorway.

Michael felt her before he saw her, he didn't know what it was at first, like a small tingle at the back of his brain. Then he knew, he sat up in the bed and saw the three people coming through the doorway. Jumping from the bed he screamed her name.

"Maria!" He reached her side before the others had a chance to get through the doors of their cells. Cradling her face in his hands he could see how ravaged she was. She was so pale, so lifeless. She had lost weight. He never took his eyes from her face, he started to unwrap the straps from around her, his hand bumped against her stomach. He felt her swollen abdomen, "what the hell did you do to her."

"We don't have time to explain, we're getting out of here. NOW!" Zane stated loudly so everyone could hear.

"What the hell are you talking about, how, this place is tighter than Fort Knox." Kyle didn't know who this clown was, but he didn't appreciate his little game. "Topolsky is behind this, it's just another one of her games."

"Max, Kyle's right, I don't trust them." Liz whimpered. Max gripped her hand tightly, pulling her with him as he strode into the group of people standing around the wheelchair. He could see Maria in the chair, she didn't look good.

"On no, Ms. Topolsky is tied up in the medical room." Dr. Hanson nervously informed them. "Mr. Shearer says he can get you out of here."

"And why should we believe you?" Isabelle demanded. She didn't trust this either, nothing these people had ever done to them had been this bad before. There was no way out of this place.

Zane ignored their questions and their arguments, he walked to the center of the room after shoving the tables and chairs out of the way he placed the device on the floor. He started punching in numbers. "We have less than ten minutes, we're leaving now, if it's a game you can kill me later, ok. But right now, we don't have time for this."

Isabelle had had enough. "We're not going anywhere with you. Go back and tell that bitch that we're no longer playing her games."

"Fine, but let me warn you about something, this building is rigged to go in about.." Zane checked his watch again, "…eight minutes and forty seconds. Every computer is hooked up with a small device, C4 is run throughout the network. There's not going to be anything left of this place. And I guess I should tell you that I can't take no for an answer." He brought the gun up. "We're all leaving, and we're leaving now." He was getting tired of having to repeat himself.He backed away from the box and waited for about three seconds. Suddenly a brilliant white light came up out of the box, it reached the ceiling in a single line. It started to waver back and forth, then it grew bigger, until it was a large square, fifteen feet by ten feet.

Max watched as the light shifted back and forth. "Who are you?" he turned and ask Zane.

Zane turned to him and smiled. "I'm a friend. And there are more friends waiting on the other side of that vortex. Trust me, please I can get you out of here."

"Max, I say we go for it. Staying here is not an option anymore." Michael said. "If we stay here we're all going to die."

Zane didn't wait for Max's answer, they weren't taking a vote on this. They were leaving. "I want you all to listen to me. Walk straight into the vortex. Don't stop and don't turn back, do you hear me, DO NOT TURN BACK. You turn back and your dead."

A low rumbling could be heard coming from the light now, Zane knew it would get louder until it became a roar. The louder it got, meant they had less time for escape.

"Michael I want you to carry Maria, do not let go of her, do you understand me. If you let go there is no way she is gonna make it out. Do you hear me?" Zane was shouting to be heard over the wailing coming from the bright hole. Michael bent and picked Maria up in his arms, he didn't quite make it, he started to falter. Max reached to help him.  

Zane moved to stop him. "Don't touch her. Let Michael carry her." Max eyebrows shifted as he watched Michael tried to lift Maria again. "You're touch will cause her pain." Zane said. Michael stood this time with no trouble. He tightened his arms around Maria and prepared to step up to the light, their only hope of escape.

Michael turned and looked at Max, everything he had always wanted to say to Max was in his eyes. Max smiled, nodding his head. Michael turned to Isabelle and smiled at her. "See ya on the other side Izzy."

It was typical Michael she thought. Her shoulders shook, she didn't know if she was laughing or crying. "Not if I see you first, you jerk."  

And Michael stepped through and was gone.

 "Max and Liz your next" Zane yelled.

Max wrapped his fingers around Liz's and stepped up to the shifting, swirling hole, a light breeze blew across his face, he turned to Isabelle. He could see the tears glistening in her eyes. She suddenly threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him so tightly he could barely breath. When he pulled back she was smiling. "I'll be right behind you brother."

"Max I'm scared." Liz had lost her self-assurance in the last few week. Max hated seeing her like this.

"We're together in this, don't worry. It's going to be alright." Wrapping one arm around her shoulder he stepped into the void.

Zane checked his watch and saw that it was only a matter of seconds before this place blew up, herding Isabelle and Kyle to the exit he told them one last time, "remember don't turn around." When he felt them hesitate he gave them both a shove into the light. Turning to take one last look behind him he noticed the doctor was standing at the door, his mouth was hanging open. Zane figured he was in shock. He pitied the man. "I'm sorry doc." And then he stepped through and was gone.

The doctor heard the young man, and watched him disappear. He wondered if he should go back and release Topolsky, instead he walked to one of the chairs, sitting down; he waited. Hell, if he was going to die he didn't want his last few seconds to be spent with Kathleen Topolsky.

Part 17

Michael felt the cold seeping through the thin T-shirt and pants. It was freezing in here, wherever here was. All he could see was the bright light surrounding them. He couldn't tell where the ceiling was or any walls of anykind. Or even where the floor started. It felt like he was in a tunnel made out of smoke.

He was worried about Maria. He was relatively healthy, she was very sick, he could feel the heat from the fever through the thin hospital gown she was wearing. How would the temperature effect her?

He could tell he was in motion, but he knew his feet weren't moving. He heard Liz scream Max's name every few seconds. She was terrified, you could hear it in her voice. Michael couldn't blame her, what the hell was this thing. He thought about what that guy had said…friends…damn it, he hoped there really was a friend on the other end of this thing that could help. Michael had always been the non-trusting member of the group, but he was tired, he wondered if maybe their was somebody out there who really could help them. He prayed that there was someone there who could help Maria. They had only been in the vortex thing for a few minutes, but in that small amount of time he had watched her, she was so out of it. She had stopped moaning and quivering when he had picked her up, but she hadn't awakened. He wished she would just open her eyes and smile at him, let him know she was alright. Hell, he'd even welcome her screaming at him right now.He heard Isabelle call out for Max, he wanted to turn and see if they were ok, but he remembered the warning, "do not turn around" if it had just been him, he probably would have turned to look, but he wouldn't jeopardize Maria in any way.

A gust of warm air suddenly came at him from behind, then a roar blasted past him, pushing him forward. The explosion, it had to be the bombs that had been rigged throughout the complex. Closing his eyes he pulled his head down to protect Maria. Damn, he hoped that bastard Yeager was still there, he liked the thought of that asshole's ashes spread out all over the wreckage. Him and Topolsky.

His head was still lowered, his eyes still closed, he never saw the swirling darkness in-front of him, he just knew that suddenly he was falling. Holding tightly to Maria, he turned taking the brunt of the impact from the fall. The voices came rushing at him, they were too fast to understand what they were saying. Certain words could be made out…medic…blankets…vitals. He felt like he was listening to one of those medical shows that Hank liked to watch on TV, usually with the sound turned up to blaring. He felt something roll against his leg, opening his eyes he looked down and saw Isabelle and Kyle wrapped around each other sprawled acrossed his legs. Turning his head he saw that Max and Liz were being helped up by people wearing pastel labcoats. A women covered in light blue reached out to take Maria out of his arms."No," he stammered, he didn't even recognize his voice. "You can't take her from me."

"Michael, its ok, everything is ok. We just want to help her, we need to examine her." Her eyes were smiling, but Michael didn't trust her, after his little speech to himself in the tunnel he still didn't want to trust anyone, not yet, not with Maria.

He watched at she turned to someone else and said something. He watched as Izzy and Kyle were helped up, they were being wrapped in some sort of clear plastic blankets. As he looked around, he took notice to the "room" they were in, if you could call it that. It looked like an outdoor garden, but the light was artificial, there were no breezes blowing, and no birds could be seen or heard. Plants, bushes, trees, but it wasn't real. Even the grass under him was fake.

It only took a few steps for Max to reach Michael. Liz was still clinging to his hand, she huddled on his shoulder as he bent to Michael and Maria.

"Michael, let them help her, she needs their help." Max pleaded with his bestfriend. "Please?"

"We don't know who they are Max, how do we know their not working with Topolsky." Michael voice was shaking. He wanted to believe Max, he truly did, but it was so hard, so hard to trust anyone.

A man's face suddenly came into focus behind Max and Liz. He was tall, blonde hair curled around his head, the gray shooting through told a lie, the blue eyes shining from a youthful face said he was too young to be turning gray. He looked to be about thirty-five years old. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a light green T-shirt. "Michael, your safe now. We're here to help you. You can trust us. No one is going to hurt Maria, I give you my word."

"Yeah, I've heard that before, what good is your word, I don't know you." Michael pulled Maria closer to his chest. He had to protect her. Had to keep her safe.

"My name is Reese, this is Lena," he motioned for the woman in blue. "She's our doctor, she can help Maria." The man named Reese smiled, "Michael your home, do you hear me, your home. Nothing can hurt you here. Your with your own kind."

Michael heard the man's word but they didn't make any sense. "What the hell do you mean…home?""It's alright, everything is going to be alright, this is the home we made when we arrived here on this planet. After the crash." The man stood and looked at the others. "You're safe here, the human's government can't touch any of you here."

Michael just stared at the man for a few seconds, finally turning to Max he tried to make his mouth work, but nothing was coming out. He felt like his brain was swirling around in his head, the feeling got slower and slower until it clicked into place. He could feel this man, feel the emotions coming from him. He suddenly realized his powers were back.  

"Max?" Michael ask so many questions in that one request. And Max understood every single one of them.

"Yes, Michael their like us," he smiled, "there not from around here either."

Michael felt this overwhelming heat flowing over him, he had thought about this every day of his life, since the first moment they realized they were different. A million different scenes had played through his mind, he had acted this moment out in his fantasies, his daydreams. And now this day had arrived and he didn't know what he felt.

The man motioned for the woman in blue to come forward again, "let them help Maria, she isn't going to make it if you don't allow us to help you?"

No one said a word as they waited to see what the boy would do. As Michael sat up he looked around him. These were his people, he was home.

He allowed them to remove Maria from his arms. The moment they pulled her away she started to shake and tremble. The agonizing moans started again. He stood and followed them as they placed her on a gurney. "Make her pain go away."

"Michael take her hand." The woman named Lena told him.  

He clasped his fingers through Maria's, holding on as tightly as he could without hurting her. The twitching and moaning ceased.

"She's calm when you're touching her, ok, just keep a hold of her hand and we'll take care of the rest.

Liz, still clinging to Max questioned, "where are they taking her?" Max turned to the man, Reese is what he said his name was.  

"Their taking them, and you to our med-tech, all of you have to be check out first, we have to make sure your all fine." Reese said as he ushered them through the doors, Max turned to follow Michael.

"Where are we?" Kyle ask as he and Isabelle followed also.

Reese turned and said, "you're in Mesa, NM, we're a little over forty miles from Roswell."

"But…" Isabelle couldn't believe they were so close to home. "Can we go home now? Home to Roswell?""I'm sorry Isabelle, but if you were to return to Roswell the government would find you again." Reese explained to her. "We've been able to shield ourselves from them. They don't even know we're here."

Max couldn't believe they had been so close to others of their kind all this time. "What do you mean shield yourselves?"

"A lot of the technology from home was brought with us when we left." Reese said. "The shield we use is made of natural energy forces. The government's electronics can't locate it, they can't see it, touch or feel it. As far as their concerned we're not even here."

"Why didn't you come and get Max and the others?" Liz ask, "why didn't you help them?"

"Plain stupidity, that's why. We never suspected Roswell. We never thought that any of our kind would still be there. Not with the way the government was all over the place." He turned and looked at Max, "I have to apologize for that. We had located most of the survivors from your ship. They were scattered throughout the country, but we never thought to look there."

"How many survived?" Isabelle was trying to deal with everything that they were being told. One minute they were in hell; and the next every wish that they had ever made was being granted. It was a bit too much for her brain to handle. She reached out and took Kyle's hand, he looked down at their joined fingers and smiled at her, squeezing her hand in his.

"There were a hundred unborn on your ship, five ships in all. Yours was the only incubation vessel. On board all five vessels there were a total of twelve hundred of us." Reese continued as they traveled down another hallway. "We lost one ship in route, another one was destroyed when we entered the Earth's atmosphere. We lost contact with your ship a few minutes later, by the time we were able to get to Roswell, well, lets just say the United States had the entire crash site quarantined, we couldn't get in to search the area. As of right now there are over seven hundred of us."

"When? When did this happen. And why?" Max ask him. "What were we doing here in the first place?"

"It took place in the Earth month of June, June of Nineteen Forty-seven. And the reason we were here is because our home, our own planet was dead."

Max stopped, dead…after all this time, to find out that their own world wasn't there anymore. He didn't know what to say, what to think. "What was the name of it…our home?""Delaina. Our world was called Delaina. I'm sorry Max, I know you weren't expecting this." Reese turned and faced the young man. He could see the pain in Max's eyes. "I know how much you wanted to hear that our world was still there. It's the same thing with all misplacer's that we have located, this need, this wanting to know that out there, somewhere was one place that you could belong, one place that you would fit in. But it's gone, it's been gone for over eighty Earth years."

"How?" Was all Max ask.

"Our planet was orbited by two suns, for billions of years they had burned bright, then like a candle they burned themselves out. Our leaders decided the best thing to do was to leave, settle in other parts of this vast galaxy. Colonize wherever we could. Unfortunately we landed here, a planet that already had inhabitants. Inhabitants that didn't want nor trust a new strange lifeform. But we had no choice we were low on fuel, low on foodstuffs, a lot of our equipment was failing. We had to land here. Or die." Reese turned and continued down the corridor. "I'll answer any questions you have, but lets get you all checked out first. Then we have a surprise for all of you."

* * * * *

Part 18

Max slowly slid off the gurney and thanked the young woman who had been checking him over. Once again they had been poked and prodded, but this time there had been no pain, no long drawn out testing. Just one medical personal for each of them. No instruments, just hands, soft glowing hands.

They had been informed that they were all relatively healthy, exhausted, tense, and a bit on the nervous side. But that had to be expected, after everything they had been through. Max had also found out that they had been held for sixty-four days. He had thought it had been longer, much longer. He looked around the room that they had been brought to. There were twelve beds throughout the room, each one had a small stand beside them. It looked like an open ward from a hospital, like the ones you saw on those medical shows on TV. He noticed that the Liz and the others were all congregated around the large window that was at the end of the room. He knew that Maria and Michael were in that room. People had been passing in and out of it for over an hour now. He joined the others at the window.

"How is she?" he ask.

Isabelle didn't even turn away from watching the activity in the room. "We don't know yet, no one has told us anything, but it doesn't look good Max. Michael hasn't looked up from Maria once. She's still unconscious, but she doesn't look like she's in any kind of pain anymore. At least I don't feel anything coming from her, do you?"

"You can feel her?" Liz questioned, "you have your powers back?"

Max felt her hand slip into his, it felt better just being able to touch her again. "Yeah, as soon as we stepped through the vortex on this side, I felt them, it's like there was some kind of block or something before."

"The titanium," Kyle said. "Remember, Topolsky said something about the titanium that was placed throughout the complex stopping you from using them." He turned to Isabelle, "can you feel me?"

She smiled and blushed, "yes I can feel you. But your wrong, I'm not hating you. I don't think I could ever hate you."

"And Isabelle is right, I can't feel anything from Maria, it's almost as if she's a blank." Max peered down into Liz's face. "I can feel Michael's anxiety over Maria, you're worrying again, about your parents. And Kyle wants to know where his dad is."

"All your questions will be answered soon. I promise." A voice said from behind them. They turned and found the man who had rescued them.

He put his hand out to Max. "Zane Shearer, and it's a pleasure to meet you under better circumstances. They all shook hands.

"We wanted to thank you." Max told him. "For what you did, getting us out of there. But how did you get there in the first place? How did you know we were there?"

"Now that is a long and difficult story, dates back over two years ago." Zane said. "But it's really Reese's place to tell you."

"Which I will, in time." Reese said as he entered the room. "Right now I want to talk to Lena, I want to get an update on Maria's condition."

He turned and watched the people working in the next room. "Zane if you could take Max and his friends up top, show them around a.."

"No"

Reese wasn't sure who had spoken, a chorus of no's came at him from all sides.

"We're not leaving, not till we know how Maria is doing." Isabelle said.

"I understand your concern, but it might take awhile to find out anything. We're not quite sure what we're dealing with here." Reese explained.

"What do you mean, dealing with? You know about this sorta stuff right, you know how to help her." Liz ask.

Reese turned and looked at Zane, the younger man shrugged back at him. "We didn't exactly have any time for explanations back there. I had to get them out before the building went."

"You do know how to help her don't you?" Max repeated Liz's question.

"Not exactly." Reese told them honestly. "We have no idea what is causing Maria's symptoms."

"We don't know what Topolsky did to her, she took her away from us right after they found out she was pregnant." Isabelle told him. "And no matter who we ask they wouldn't tell us anything."

Liz had been hoping that Reese and his friends would be able to help Maria, she was starting to worry that this wasn't the case. "What do you usually do when a human is carrying one of…well, a child of…your race?""We usually do nothing, because frankly, no human has ever conceived a Delainian's child before." Reese turned and watched Maria and Michael through the glass again. "We've never heard of this happening before."

"No one, ever?" Isabelle questioned. "But how can that be, I mean…it was only one time, it took one time for Maria to become pregnant.""That is what we are going to try and determine, how this has happened." Reese said. He turned and walked through the doorway into the other room. The five people watched him conferring with the woman named Lena.

"They have to know something, and they have to tell us, whatever it is." Isabelle said as she walked through the doorway. She heard Max calling her name, she knew he would tell her to wait, but she was tired of waiting, she wanted answers and she wanted them now.

She walked in and stood directly behind Reese and Lena. She listened in on their conversation. "We've tried Reese, I've tried and Mara has tried, we can't establish a connection. It's almost as if she is blocking us out."

"What about brain damage?" Reese ask.

"I haven't detected anything in her brain functions that would lead us to suspect that." Lena shook her head. "I honestly don't know what to tell you. The child seems healthy, the heartbeat is strong, her brain shows a normal Delainian's brain patterns. Maria is weak, she's anemic, but that's to be expected. How did the cocooning go, do we have anything from Zane on that yet?"

"Unfortunately there was no cocooning, they removed Maria from Michael before it could take place." Reese informed her.

Lena raised her eyebrow and glared at Reese. "No cocooning, but..."

Isabelle decided that she couldn't learn anything this way. "What's cocooning?"

Reese turned, he had known she was there, had felt her following him into the room, he was surprised she had stayed silent this long. "Immediately following conception a Delainian mother and father cocoon. They become one, that's the best way to describe it. The child shares this oneness. It's our way of assuring that everything is fine, with the mother, and the child. But Maria being human, plus the fact that she was removed from Michael's presence after conception never received this oneness."

"We believe that Maria, not knowing what is happening to her is not making the connection between the presence in her mind and the child." Lena explained. "We think she is locked in the oneness with the child but not understanding any of it. She's probably terrified. Which has lead to the coma."

"Maria's in a coma?" Liz exclaimed as she and the rest of the group slowly moved into the room.

Lena tried explaining to the young girl. "Liz, we are doing everything in our power to help your friend. Right now we have her stabilized, but I won't lie to you, if we can't form a connection between the mother and child soon, we could loose them both.

"What about dreamwalking?" Isabelle ask. "Couldn't we go into her dreams and direct her to the baby, try to make her understand?"

"We've been trying, it's not working." Lena told her. "She's blocking us in someway, we've tried everything possible."

"What about Michael?" Zane ask. "Can he make a connection? He's the closest to her."

Isabelle shook her head, "Michael can't control his powers, he's a loose cannon. He's tried to do things, they never turn out very well."

Lena dropped her head down, "I don't think we have a choice, either Michael or someone has to reach her. We're running out of time."

Reese walked to the bed and stood watching the two young people. Maria looked so small laying there, he had seen pictures of the girl, pictures that showed a vibrant and beautiful young woman. The person laying in the bed in front of him was just a pale shadow compared to that girl. The man sitting beside the bed was tuned out, Reese didn't even think that Michael knew they were in the room. He had the fingers of one hand laced through Maria's fingers, the other hand rested on the small mound where their child lay.

Zane turned to Lena. "What if we try a group link, have all of them try to help Michael reach her?"

"Max and Isabelle could possibly help, but I don't think the others would do much good." The doctor's look relayed to Reese that she held no possibilities of this working.

"But then again Lena, you didn't think the humans would survive the vortex either." Zane told her, you could tell by the look on her face she hadn't wanted him to say anything. "These kids will surprise the hell out of you if you let them. I watched them at the complex remember, day in and day out they amazed me with their strengths. I say let them try."

"We can do it. I promise you just let us try, we'll help Michael get in." Isabelle said, she realized that a few months ago she would never had let anyone see her begging for anything. But a few months were a lifetime ago, all she wanted to do now was help her friends.

Reese turned and looked to Lena, raising one eyebrow he let it up to her to make the decision. "Well?"

"Alright, we can try this, but I'm in the circle with you, if anything goes wrong, if for any reason I say we stop, we end it right there, do you all understand?" She still didn't think this would work, but she was ready to try anything at this point. "I want you all to get some rest, we'll try it first thing in the morning."

"No, we want to try it now." Isabelle told her. "In the morning Maria could be worse. We've just spent the last two months with nothing to do, believe me, I'm rested enough." The rest of them joined in with their agreements. They were tired of standing by and doing nothing.

Lena had her assistants take the teenagers in the next room and explain to them what they would have to do. She stood with Reese and watched them for a few moments. "Did you notice, they don't talk in the singular, everything is us, or we?"

"Yes, I did notice that. But you have to understand everything they have been through in the last few months. They've only had each other to rely on." Reese said.

"But its more than that, its like they are all linked in some way. Look at Michael, he is totally locked on Maria, it's like the rest of us don't even exists. I've read his file Reese, this boy wanted nothing to do with humans, all he cared about was getting home. Well he's here, but has he ask one question. No, he had to have heard your explanation on the way down here, but he never spoke up, never questioned you about any of this." She took a long breath and rolled her head back on her tired neck muscles. "No, there's more to this. How did Maria become pregnant? We can't find any scientific reasoning for it. For all intents and purposes that girl should not have been capable of conceiving a child of Delainian genealogy."

"I can't explain any of it Lena, that's your job. I'm just here to make sure they stay safe." Reese said. He too had thought it would have been Michael wanting to know everything about them, asking all the questions. But the boy was totally wrapped up in the human girl. Maybe Lena was right, maybe there was something more here.

-******-

They had explained to Michael what had to be done, he hadn't believed that he could do it, he had fought them, trying to talk them into letting Isabelle do it. But in the end Max had talked him into. For Maria he would try anything. The concept of the child was still something that Michael couldn't grasp. To him the child was a symptom of the illness Maria had, he couldn't quite connect with the thought of Maria carrying his baby.

The others had changed into street clothes that Zane had brought to them, Michael wouldn't leave Maria, the nurses had taken to bringing him anything he needed because he wouldn't leave her bedside. They had made him don a white terrycloth robe over the T-shirt and scrubs, he had told them he didn't need it, but they had made him wear it anyway.

Lena and Reese had gone over every detail with them. Isabelle would be next to Michael, she had more experience at dreamwalking than Max did, so she would lead Michael in. Reese had told her that they would have to sit down and talk about her little extra activities, because here in New Haven dreamwalking was not allowed unless you had the permission of the dreamer. Or in cases such as Maria's.

Max stood next to Isabelle, he gripped Liz's hand tightly, Liz reached up and placed her palm in Kyle's. Kyle then reached up and took Lena's hand, she in-turn laid her hand over Maria's, she wanted to be able to monitor Maria as the dreamwalking progressed. She told them one last time, if for any reason she called a halt to this, they had to listen to her. They had all agreed.

"Michael close your eyes and think about Maria, only Maria. Picture her in your mind, see her with your thoughts, not your eyes." Lena told him quietly.

Michael nodded his head, closing his eyes he pictured Maria in his head. He formed an image of her beautiful face in his mind. In his image she was laughing, her mouth was moving at a very rapid pace. This is the way he wanted her to be, he missed her babbling, her perkiness.

In the next few minutes all you could hear in the room was the breathing patterns of the six people as they stood around the bed. Maria's breathing was so shallow you could barely hear her, the others drowning hers out.

Reese, Zane and a handful of others stood outside the circle, watching, waiting. Hoping this would work. It didn't matter to them that the young girl in the bed wasn't one of them. No, it didn't matter that they had never seen her before. All they knew was she needed their help.

Suddenly the seven people went still, very still. Reese knew that they had made it in. He knew if he wanted to he could walk up and touch any one of them and find out what was happening, but he felt that if he did that he would be intruding on them. He waited with everyone else.

-*****-

It was dark, and Michael thought he smelled something sour. He turned and looked around, it looked like a sewer. There was water, a small trickling stream of dirty water that wound a path down a large round tunnel, the bricks were crumbling, he could see bits of trash and debris laying around.

He saw a wall behind him, so he turned and started moving forward, at least he thought it was forward. He didn't want to think of Maria being in a place like this. Not here. He tried yelling her name. "Maria."

Nothing. He walked for a few minutes, he kept calling her name every few seconds, he never received an answer. He wondered if the others could hear him, he tried a little experiment. "Isabelle?"

"I'm here Michael, have you found her?" Isabelle answered him.

"No, I can't see her anywhere, are you sure we're in her dream. Are you sure we're not in one of the others?" Michael ask her.

"No, this is Maria's, can't you feel her?" Isabelle said.

Michael closed his eyes and he pictured Maria, not the Maria in the bed but the bright and perky, always talking Maria from before. And then he felt it. He felt her. His eyes flew open, he started walking. "I've got her."

"You found her?" Isabelle ask again.

"No, but I know where she is." Michael flew down passage ways, running and turning as if he had been here before, and he realized he had. He remembered his nightmares, the ones he would have at home, the ones that would wake him up and drive him to Max's house. This is what he had been dreaming about, running down this tunnel, looking for something, something that was just out of his reach.

He could see a light up in front of him, it wasn't bright, just a bit more than was in the tunnels. He slowed, entering the next tunnel he found it wasn't a tunnel at all, but a room. And then he saw her, she was rolled up into a ball trying to hide in the corner. She was wearing the same ugly green gown they had given her at the complex, but this one was filthy, stained and wet.

"Maria." He called to her gently, he didn't want to frighten her.

"Michael?" It was barely a whisper. He kneeled down next to her and drew her up into his arms. "Oh God baby, we've been so worried about you."

"Your not real." That was it, she wouldn't even look up at him.

"I'm here, I'm real, just hold on to me ok. Everything is going to be alright now, do you hear me?" Michael ran his hands up and down her arms, she felt so cold, he wanted to warm her up. He glanced down at her body, in here there was no round belly, no child. In here Maria didn't even realize that she carried a baby, his baby.

Michael took hold of her chin and turned her face up to his. "Maria look at me, we have to find someone ok, there's someone in here who we have to talk to. It's very important, do you hear me?"

"Who?" There was no spark in her eyes, its almost as if she wasn't really there. He couldn't stand seeing her so lifeless.

"I don't know, but we'll know when we find them." Michael knew that he wasn't making very much sense, but he couldn't tell her what he didn't know. He stood up, he gently set her on her feet. Removing the robe he slide her arms into it and belted it acrossed her waist. "Come on, lets go look ok."

"Ok, but how will we know them if we don't know who they are? Is it Liz? Where's Lizzie and Isabelle. I haven't seen any of you in so long. I thought you had left me." She sounded like she was going to cry.

"No, we never left you, we've been right here all the time. There here with us, all of them. Izzy, can you hear me?" Michael hoped the connection was still there.

"I hear you Michael, we all hear you, how is she?" Isabelle tried to keep the worry out of her voice, she didn't know if Maria could hear her or not.

"Isabelle, where are you?" Maria ask.

"I'm right here Maria, we're all here. We've been looking for you." Isabelle told her.

"I can't see her, why can't I see her Michael?" Maria had stopped and was looking around. "Wait how can you do this, I thought you couldn't use your powers here."

"We're not exactly at the complex anymore, we're safe, but you went to sleep and you won't wake up, so we came to find you, to help you." Michael was using a sing-song voice, like he was explaining something to a child. Maria didn't like his tone.

"I'm not an idiot Michael, you don't have to talk down to me." She said. He smiled, she sounded more like herself, he could handle this Maria. "This is one of Isabelle's dreamwalking thingies isn't it, she's up to her old tricks again, isn't she?" Maria raised her head and spoke to the air, "if you think you can scare me again, well forget it. I'm not frightened of you anymore Izzy. So you can just forget it."

She could hear Isabelle's laughter echo throughout the tunnels. "Wouldn't dream of trying to scare you Maria, I saw you go up against Yeager, wouldn't try anything on you. I promise."

Michael felt Maria tense up. "Is that who we're going to see, Yeager, or is it Topolsky, cause I'm not up to seeing either one of them right now. I've been hearing voices in here, and let me tell it wasn't any fun."

Michael tried to reassure her, "no, you don't have to see either one of them again, their dead Maria, they can't hurt you anymore."

"Dead…but how did they…" She just stared up at him, she was having trouble taking all this in."Don't worry about them, the person we're looking for is a friend, they're gonna help us get you out of here, trust me ok." Michael told her.

"I'll always trust you, always." She squeezed his hand and let him guide her through the tunnels.

-******-

Reese had been watching the circle around the bed for about thirty minutes now. Dreamwalking usually didn't take this long, but these were a totally different set of circumstances then they usually dealt with in a walk. He reached up and rubbed his eyes. He had been awake for over twenty-four hours, he was starting to ache in places he hadn't realized existed. He heard a sudden gasp from Zane and a few of the others and opened his eyes. At first he didn't see anything that would have caused the startled exclamations but then he saw it. There was a shimmering around Michael, almost as if he was sparkling, then the same glow from Maria.

"Did you just see that?" Zane ask him. They both moved closer to the bed. 

"I can't believe it." Reese said. "I haven't seen that for over fifty-years. Some of the old timers could do it, but hell, I can't even do it."

They both looked down at Maria, she had been wrapped up in the clear plastic blankets that Lena had placed over her, but now she was laying on top of the blankets; and she was wearing the same white terry cloth robe that Michael had been wearing a few moments ago. Michael stood next to the bed in only his T-shirt and scrubs. No one had moved, not a muscle. But somehow Michael had placed that robe around Maria. Reese smiled to himself. Lena had been right, it was more than a link, more than a bond.

* * * * *

Go to Part 19-21