BY KAL-EL
NOT EVEN DEATH...
ACT 2
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Everything up until the end of 'Chant Down Babylon'.
Cut to pitch dark. You literally can not see anything.
V.O.(Riverdog): How do you feel?
V.O.(Max): Afraid.
V.O.(Riverdog): Of what?
V.O.(Max): Of me.
The screen clears. We see a close-up of Max�s face, his eyes clamped shut. As the camera angle widens, we can see him sitting in a tent, bare-chested and dressed in jeans. He�s sweating.
RIVERDOG: Why is that?
MAX: Because I can�t trust myself. To suddenly wake up, and not even recognizing your own body? Do you know what that�s like? I�m just scared that I may lose control. That I might hurt somebody.
Riverdog pauses, just staring at Max.
RIVERDOG: Someone, perhaps, like Liz?
Max tensed up at those words.
Riverdog stands up, and goes over to Max. He puts his hand on his shoulder.
RIVERDOG: We are done.
Max opens his eyes, and stands up. He grabs his shirt and jacket off the ground and follows Riverdog out of the tent.
*****
Cut to outside the tent, on the reservation. Max pulls his shirt on.
RIVERDOG: There are no signs at all. It seems as if your thoughts were correct, Max.
MAX: Are you sure? Michael didn�t get sick until later on, remember?
RIVERDOG: But he became feverish almost immediately. From what I can see, you give no signs at all of being a visitor. You are a man of the earth now.
Max sighs.
MAX: I don�t know whether to be ecstatic or freaked out. I�ve spent my entire life being different, now suddenly I�m normal.
RIVERDOG: You are not �normal� my friend. Not compared to the common man.
MAX: It�s just�it�s too much. I should have died, but instead I was cured?
RIVERDOG: Or reborn. Like a phoenix.
Max looks at him, confused.
MAX: What�s a phoenix?
RIVERDOG: A story. They say that the phoenix was a bird of immense proportions. Majestic�powerful�but was consumed by fire. However, because its purpose wasn�t complete, it rose from the ashes and lived again.
MAX: Like me?
Riverdog nodded.
RIVERDOG: �Rising from the ashes� is not just being returned to life, it is about renewed life. A new purpose and power. What has always been your wish in life, Max?
MAX: To be normal. To be human.
RIVERDOG: And now you are one of us. The question is, how will you use that?
Max pulls on his jacket.
MAX: I�ll have to think about that. Thank you, again, for all your help.
Riverdog nods.
RIVERDOG: Go in peace, Max Evans. Never doubt that I will help you and your friends when you require my aid.
Max smiles, and heads towards his car.
*****
Cut to the desert, Liz has her eyes closed, gently breathing.
MAX: I want you to clear your mind, Liz. Don�t think about anything else but me.
Max is behind her, whispering into her ear.
MAX: Think of your heart as a furnace�the source of your power. Our feelings control our powers, so that�s where the power comes from. Focus on it. Don�t try to force that energy out. Just let it flow out like water�
Suddenly, Liz�s hand gives off a faint green glow. In turn, Max�s hand begins to glow as well.
He puts his glowing hand in hers.
Without warning, the sand begins to move. It lifts lightly off the ground at first, then shoots into the air.
It circles around the two of them, standing together, like a giant cylinder. Circling around, yet never striking them.
LIZ: I�ve�never done anything like this before.
Max smiles.
MAX: Me neither.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them starts to rise up, lifting the two of them into the air. Afterwards, it solidifies, becoming a cylinder-shaped formation of rock-hard sand.
Both of their mouths hang open in awe.
LIZ: Did�did I just do that?
MAX: I think we did. For some reason, when I�m connected to you, it increases my powers. Something like this should take intense concentration�
LIZ: But it was simple. Just because it was the two of us working on it?
Max nodded.
Liz smirked
LIZ: How exactly do we get down from here?
MAX: To tell you the truth, I�m not so sure I want to�
Max reaches over and kisses her. They start kissing passionately.
LIZ: Max�suppose someone sees us�
MAX: So?
LIZ: So�a bizarre-shaped butte springing up in minutes in the middle of the desert seems a bit suspicious. Not to mention scientifically impossible.
Max chuckles, as their clasped hands start to glow again. The butte begins to transform back into loose sand slowly, starting from the bottom. Eventually, all trace of it is gone.
MAX: Better?
LIZ: Much.
Liz wraps her arms around his neck, and they continue kissing.
MAX: Mmmmm�I feel like I�m going to like �training� you like this.
LIZ: Oh�so that�s what they�re calling it these days?
Max blushes at her forwardness.
LIZ: Uh�Max. I need to talk to you about something. Something serious.
Max looks at her intently, noticing the stress in her voice.
MAX: What�s wrong? Are you ok?
LIZ: Yeah, it�s not with me. It�s Kyle.
MAX: Kyle? Is he changing already?
LIZ: They might be, I don�t know. All I know is that I accidentally connected with him back at school, and something was wrong.
Max looks at her, confused.
MAX: �Wrong� meaning�?
Liz took a deep breath before continuing.
LIZ: He was two people. I was connecting with Kyle, but I should sense two different personalities inside of him. Like he was two separate people or something?
Max�s expression became shocked.
MAX: Like he�s possessed?
LIZ: I don�t know, Max. That�s why I�m asking you. These powers are still new to me, so I thought maybe you would know something about it.
Max thinks about it for a moment.
MAX: I�ve never encountered something like that before. But he could be possessed by an alien, right?
LIZ: It could be K�Var.
MAX: Which is why we shouldn�t take any chances. I could try connecting with him and probe deeper. Find out more about who this is.
Liz shakes her head.
LIZ: No Max. I want to do it?
MAX: It could be dangerous. What if it is K�Var?
LIZ: Kyle didn�t even realize it happened last time. That might give me an advantage to find out what we need to without giving anything away.
Max kisses her.
MAX: Just promise me that you�ll be careful, ok?
Liz nods.
LIZ: Ok.
*****
Cut to Kyle, sitting at his kitchen table, looking over some papers.
KYLE: Uh, dad?
Valenti peeks his head from around a corner.
VALENTI: Yeah, Kyle?
Kyle lifts up a paper for him to see.
KYLE: What�s this?
Jim smiles.
VALENTI: That would be my license.
KYLE: For what?
He takes it from Kyle.
VALENTI: My new job. I�m a freelancer.
Kyle gets up, following him.
KYLE: Hey, woah. Just hold it here, dad. A �freelancer�? You�re going to be a�
VALENTI: A �sheriff for hire� you could call it. Specializing in our of the ordinary things that Hansen doesn�t want to touch.
KYLE: �Out of the ordinary� meaning �alien�, right? You�re going to take on this stuff�
VALENTI: Not by myself. I want Max and the others to help. At least until my powers show up.
Kyle runs his hands through his hair, stressed out.
KYLE: Your powers?! Let me explain something to you dad�you�re not Angel. When those powers show up, we have to keep them a secret. Remember?
Jim turns around to face his son.
VALENTI: Look�Kyle. I understand how much this bothers you. But I am an adult, remember? One who spent most of his life learning how to protect people. Now, I�m not going to just sit around with the ability to help people and not use it the way that I know best. This�this is something I want to do.
With that he leaves.
KYLE: Dad? DAD?
In frustration, Kyle picks a book up off the shelf and throws it.
Then, it magically bursts into flames as it hits the wall. Kyle�s eyes go so wide they look as if they are going to burst.
KYLE: It�s hap-en-ing�
*****
Cut to Liz�s room. She�s on her bed, writing in her journal.
Suddenly, she hears a tapping on her window. She looks up.
LIZ: Max?
She sees Kyle outside her window.
KYLE: Hey, Liz? I need help.
Liz puts away her journal, and walks towards the window.
She climbs outside, noticing Kyle�s nervous look.
LIZ: What�s up?
Kyle takes a deep breath.
KYLE: You know those powers I�m supposed to get? Well�I got them!
Liz looks at him, surprised.
LIZ: When? How?
KYLE: About twenty minutes ago. I set dad�s address book on fire. And�I�m freaking out.
LIZ: Kyle calm down. Just�relax.
KYLE: Can�t you do something. Transfer whatever control you have, or�
LIZ: It doesn�t work that way, Kyle. You have to learn to control it.
KYLE: Go in my head or something. There�s gotta be something you can do?
Liz almost refuses again, but stops herself.
LIZ: Ok�come here.
Kyle complies, walking up to Liz.
LIZ: Now, I want you to relax. Clear your head�
KYLE: Right�my consciousness is in a state of complete tranquility.
Liz looks at him disbelievingly.
KYLE: I�m relaxed, ok.
Liz closes her eyes, and starts to concentrate.
*****
She sees Kyle a few years back, in the gym.
LIZ: GO KYLE!
Kyle trips and busts his ankle.
Then she sees a few years later, a gun goes off�
VALENTI: KYLE! OH GOD�KYLE! Please�save him�
Max walks up to Kyle and heals him.
KYLE: Evans must have really pissed you off for you to resort to this.
Then she sees something else�the second presence again.
It quickly dissipates, showing Kyle again�kneeling in front of a statue.
KYLE: Kyle needs a woman. Kyle needs her badly.
He fantasizes about kissing Isabel.
Then it came again, the second presence�only more aware.
VOICE: Who�s Czechoslovakian?
Liz froze. Something about that voice sounded�familiar?
VOICE: Never say that again�
VOICE: WE SAVED THE WORLD!!!
VOICE: There�s nothing left for you to warp�
Liz�s eyes went wide. There was no denying it�she knew who the other presence was.
VOICE: DON�T MINDWARP ME! NOOOOOOOOO!!!!
*****
Liz stumbled back, almost in shock. A look of terror on her face.
KYLE: Liz? What�s wrong? What did you see?
Kyle tries to approach her. Liz quickly picks herself up off the ground and backs away.
LIZ: I�Kyle�I gotta go see Max. Tell him what�
KYLE: What happened? Liz, you�re terrified�
LIZ: I�m fine, really�
KYLE: No�you�re not. You saw something bad, didn�t you? What�s wrong with me?
Liz takes a deep breath.
LIZ: Nothing�
KYLE: Like heck it�s nothing. What�s wrong with me?
LIZ: I gotta go.
Before he can stop her, Liz climbs down her balcony to street level and runs off.
Up on the roof, Kyle just watches her leave�more confused than ever.