Disclaimer:
These characters do not belong to me, but to the writers and producers
of Roswell
Spoilers:
After Chant Down Babylon, changes happening where Max is successfully
rescued, and Michael was the one who broke up with Maria.
Pairings: You’ll have to wait and see!
Pronunciation Guide: Iorl: (Ee – or – el)
Alaris:
(Ah – l –air – is)
Lamdon:
(Lamb – don)
Author’s notes: Queen Fadilia
Kedar: Max/Isabel’s mother
King
Alaric Kedar: Max/Isabel’s father
Andaria: Tess’ mother
Radim:
Tess’ father
Kedrans: race from which Royal Four descended
Iturians: race from which Khivar descended, and
overthrew and killed Zan and the Kedrans
Cerideans: special core ops of the Iturian army, mostly
psyonics and telepaths
Kaptar’s
Jewel: constellation in the
Antarian’s star system
Yun’s
Garment: Aurora Borealis - Northern Lights
Chapter Forty Nine
***
He who chooses the beginning of a road chooses the place it leads to.
It is the means that determine the end.
-
Harry Emerson Fosdick
***
The unloading of the ship was rushed,
and a blur. Michael and Tess watched as
they landed in a secluded docking bay.
It was almost dawn, but the sun had not yet emerged from its resting
place. The Munans loaded their packs
and escorted them quickly down the ramp where they were greeted by one lone
stranger, a Munan, garbed in a green, fitted garment. He stood at attention, as Desya introduced Michael and Tess to
the alien.
"General Jakar; Commander Rath,
and Queen Ava," Desya said humbly, bowing to the army commander. "Commander Rath and Queen Ava, this is
General Jakar - one of our finest commanding officers."
Michael held out his hand to greet
the General. "General," he
said somberly.
The Munan stood at least 6' 8",
with a muscular build. His face was
creased with age; he had been in many battles.
He frowned uncertainly, staring uncomprehendingly at Michael's
outstretched hand. "Commander
Rath," he said stoically, ignoring Michael's gesture of respect. "Queen Ava, we have been expecting
you." The General bowed low before
Tess.
Tess swallowed, still unaccustomed
to the reverence she received from the Loyalist contingent. She smiled faintly, her mind on other
matters. "Where are we?" she
asked uncertainly. The landscape was
not at all familiar.
General Jakar's head snapped to
attention, gazing intently at Tess.
"We are on Muna, Your Highness."
Tess frowned. "I thought we were returning to
Antar?" she said suspiciously. Her
mother could not afford another delay.
General Jakar nodded in agreement. "Yes, that is so. But we shall be taking a smaller transport
to Antar."
"Why?" Michael asked,
joining the conversation. He did not
like surprises, on Earth or otherwise.
The tall Munan turned and
acknowledged Michael's expression of concern.
"Commander, we could not have slipped onto Antar unnoticed on the
vessel the Observers had secured.
Khivar is monitoring all incoming and outgoing vessels," he
reported. "General Steren and I
have arranged to transport you on a ME shuttle. Its stealth capabilities are minimal, but with a ship that small,
it shouldn't register so much as a speck of dust on their radar."
Michael glanced down at Tess, who
nodded in comprehension. He knew that
Khivar's forces must have been on alert after Tess' disappearance. General Steren had already informed them of
the rampage the would-be king was on.
"Well, let's not keep them waiting, right?" he said gruffly.
General Jakar nodded, and motioned
for Tess and Michael to walk towards a medium sized shuttle ship. "This way, Your Highness;
Commander."
Tess quickly strode towards a vessel
that loomed a few feet from her. Even
though the shuttle was considered small, it was large enough to tower over
her. "How soon will we
arrive?" she asked anxiously. Tess
had tried contacting her mother mentally, but there was nothing. She knew it was a dangerous stunt, but she
had to risk it; and her fears were heightened further.
As General Jakar settled into the
pilot's seat, with Michael sitting alongside him, and Tess in the passenger
seat, he gripped the controls and ignited the thrusters. "It should be 20 or 30 parsecs,"
he said distractedly, as he steered the shuttle out from the docking bay and
into the vastness of space.
Tess took a deep breath before
exhaling uneasily. Her mother had to
be all right. She settled back into
the bucket seat and stared longingly into the infinite void of darkness. Things were not even close to being prepared
or organized for the war that was going to be waged. And neither Tess nor Michael was prepared for what was
ahead. She knew that deep down - and it
frightened her.
This had gone all wrong, right from
the start. How was she supposed to
free their people? She remembered
Andaria speaking of faith, and trusting that what was prophesied would come to
fruition. As Tess stared out into the
void, she wondered how she could possibly do that? Nothing was happening as it should. Max was not at her side, guiding their people into a war, which
would surely bring hundreds, if not thousands of Antarian deaths.
How was she supposed to have faith
at a time like this?
~~~
Fadilia paced fitfully as she waited
for Ava and Rath to be brought into the Fold.
She had been apprised of their every movement since their arrival on
Muna. Their shuttle had docked in the
hidden base within the steep daunting mountainous range of Mount
Freiweils. Now she was awaiting their
presence in the Tarsis room.
It had been a night of
sleeplessness. Fadilia wanted news of
her daughter and of her son. She wanted
to know what they looked like now; how different were they from when she knew
them? How were they alike their predecessors?
As her mind filled with endless
questions, she felt her heart begin to race; and she stared anxiously at the
bronze door, where she would be confronted with Ava and Rath's hybrid forms for
the first time.
Today would be the beginning of the
One's blessed Prophecy. And it would
begin with them.
~~~
Michael felt the palms of his hands
begin to warm, and the starched collar of his Antarian uniform tighten around
his throat as they strode silently through the maze of intricate
corridors. When they descended into the
dark, mountainous range below, he thought they would crash upon one of the many
sharp peaks, or ridges of the looming spectacle of nature. But as they were about to land upon a grove
of shadowy trees below, a long sliver of reddish brown light sliced through the
darkness and widened into a circular shaft of blinding light.
What happened afterwards seemed like
a dream. Both he and Tess were greeted
by a host of awful and reverent Antarians.
The select group lined the silver path, which met them at the bottom of
the shuttle ramp. The light grey fabric
path guided them to an entourage of four, with General Steren standing at
attention in the foreground. He saluted
before Michael, and bowed before Tess.
They spoke briefly; General Steren
introduced them to the four ethereal figures behind him. Two were men and two were women.
"They will prepare you for the
introduction to the Queen Mother," General Steren smiled. "Enime and Iorl will attend to your
needs, Your Majesty," he gestured to Tess, as the two delicate women
reverently curtsied before their Queen.
"Commander Rath, Alaris and Lamdon will be your attendants."
Michael was greeted by two dark men,
both dressed in matching cream-coloured garbs that were fashioned in a manor
that reminded Michael of the Greeks.
The garment was gathered on each shoulder, and it draped below their
ankles, but did not touch the floor.
One was of average height, while the second stood a head taller than
Michael. Both averted their eyes and
bowed at the waist.
Michael was unsure of what had
happened to Tess, as she was escorted away by her attendants; however, he
assumed she was put through the same ritual preparations his attendants
bestowed upon him. First Michael was
escorted into a fairly large chamber and told to disrobe, and wash
himself. Once he had figured out the
controls to the alien shower, which did not use water, but showered him with a
warm, tingling blue ray, the attendants had, as Michael discovered, discarded
his clothes and replaced it with a blood-red uniform, with black trim. He recognized it right away. It was the Royal Antarian uniform; it had
his ranking mounted upon his shoulder blades, and they had even gone to the
trouble of neatly fastening his past honors upon the left breast.
Once he had dressed in the strange,
yet familiar uniform, the attendants poured a silky, liquid concoction through
his hair. It felt like water; but
Michael soon realized the strange fluid hardened in minutes. It acted like gel, but was more flexible,
and didn't leave a crusty feeling in his hair.
They slicked his hair back and handed him a military cap, matching his
uniform. In the middle of the cap, was
an embroidered symbol of the 'V', and within it was two silver circles merged
together. Then he was brought to
General Steren, who was speaking with Tess in the dimly lit corridor.
As had he approached, he had seen
that Tess had also cleaned up and changed.
Her long, wavy blonde locks now hung loosely below her shoulders, with
one, single, silver star fastening a few tendrils of hair behind her. She had changed out of her worn jeans, and
khaki green, long sleeved shirt - she was now dressed in a long, white flowing
gown.
Michael had been taken aback. He had seen her gussied up before, but
something had been different about her just then. Tess had seemed to carry certain elegance about her now. Michael could see for the first time why Max
or Zan would have been taken with her.
Suddenly Michael realized they had
stopped their trek to the momentous event.
He stopped mid-stride as General Steren pressed his hand upon the silver
imprint ingrained into the rigid wall.
Tess stood beside him; and as he glanced at her, he could tell she was
also nervous. She fidgeted as they
stood, waiting for those fateful doors to open. Michael swallowed hard and took a deep breath.
The doors slid open, allowing a
soothing white light to escape its mouth.
Michael silently reached over and
grasped Tess' trembling hand, as General Steren motioned for them to enter the
hallowed room, and glanced at an trepidatious Tess, who nervously bit her
bottom lip. He squeezed her hand
encouragingly.
"Let’s get the show on the road."
~~~
"Okay, so this is what we're
going to do..." Max swallowed hard, still quite unable to comprehend the
revelation Maria had sprung upon him. "I will locate Tess' memories that
she left with Maria," he explained slowly. "And project them here, so all of us can see it."
Liz frowned. "Can you do that?"
Max glanced briefly at Liz, focused
on what exactly he was planning on doing.
He wasn't quite sure where the idea had come from, but he had no
hesitation in proceeding with this procedure.
Somewhere in the recesses of his mind, as if he were reliving a dream,
Max knew this had been done before.
Without a second glance, he silently nodded. "Yes."
"Even if we see these
memories," Kyle hedged, "how are we supposed to know that it wasn't
all a figment of Tess' imagination?"
Max dragged a kitchen stool into the
centre of the living room, and placed Maria on the white narrow chair. He turned around and looked at Liz and Kyle,
who stood there looking perplexed.
"I've done it before," he said gravely. "And there are signs of manipulation
within a mindwarp."
Liz watched Max prepare for the
process, meticulously positioning Maria and himself in just the right
spot. It was the first time she didn't
recognize the man who stood before her.
He was so focused and serious about what Maria had told him. Max seemed to believe the lies, rather than
remain skeptical about the whole situation.
"And how do you know what they
are Max?" she asked worriedly. Liz
felt an unexplainable distance placed between them since he arrived home, and
now his stance and posture held a startling dignity and regal ness. It frightened her.
Max looked up at Liz, as his
fingertips hovered beside Maria's temples; her pleading eyes searched his for
assurance - that nothing had changed and will change between them. He let out a tentative sigh. "A lot of things have happened since we
left, Liz. And my memories of the past
and who I am," his voice cracked as the words seemed to stick in this
throat. "Th-they have made me realize that I have been denying a lot of
things."
Liz felt her heart begin to
pound. It sounded as if he were trying
to prepare her for something, and that something was nothing but bad news. She swallowed hard, unable to tear her gaze
from Max's, who held hers in a vice-like grip.
"Y-you'd better go on with this," she whispered
reluctantly. "I think Kyle and I
need to know from you, whether what Maria saw was the truth or another of her
lies."
Every muscle in her body screamed at
her to stop Max from doing this. It
would either confirm or deny everything she had come to believe Tess was - and
that wasn't something she was necessarily ready for.
Max smiled faintly and nodded; he
prepared himself for the new manipulation of his powers into a procedure he
recalled just minutes ago. He looked up
at Kyle and Liz, to see whether they were ready for the exercise. They looked apprehensive, but both nodded
for him to proceed. Then he looked down
at Maria. "Are you ready?" he
asked.
The back of the tall blonde's head
moved forward - nodding her head.
"Let's get the show on the road," she quipped, her voice
wavered nervously.
Max licked his lips and closed his
eyes. He prayed silently that he would
remember exactly what he needed to do.
'If you're in there...you need to help me out with this,' he said
silently to Zan. 'This is what you have been wanting for a long
time.'
There was no reply.
Max forced himself to focus on the
intense power he had been able to manipulate several times in the past. Harnessing this power to extract the
memories stored within Maria's mind was a delicate procedure. He had never had to manifest his powers in
the psychic realm; it had always been used in a physical sense, whether to
protect them with an energy field, or to heal someone. Max would never have considered using his
powers in such a fashion.
Meanwhile, Kyle and Liz watched in
fascination. A warm glow began to
emanate from Max's fingertips, saturating Maria's temporal lobe. Max's expression was of complete
concentration and effort, while Maria's face remained relaxed and at ease.
Max visualized his power searching
through the recesses of Maria's mind, seeking the important piece of data
stored within the darkness. Suddenly
the beacon of his power, which manifested itself as a luminous light, made
contact with a psychic image of a door.
A lone silver handprint was emblazoned on the entryway to Tess's secret
revelation.
Here goes nothing.
~ *
~
Kyle watched rapturously as a
glowing, green energy globe radiated from Max and Maria. A steady stream of images, like a video
projection, began flashing within the green globe. The familiar scenes, and the correlation of the events, which
flashed within the phenomena, with his own memories, captivated him.
Liz folded her arms across her chest
as the events of that fateful year hovered uncannily before her. Her chest tightened when Alex appeared with
his usual heartwarming, mischievous smirk - something she had been missing for
some time now. The projection flipped
from one scene to another; scenes of Tess planning and plotting with Khivar
about how to convince Max to return to Antar to scenes of Tess discovering
Khivar's intentions toward Max through his callous treatment of Alex. She shifted uncomfortably as she saw the
condition Alex was in during Khivar's process of mind control. It was unfathomable that one man could
possibly be the source of Alex's slow disintegration.
The closer the unfolding story came
to the climax of the true events of that night; Liz couldn't help but turn
away. Her knees were weak and her heart
felt like it was going to jump out of her chest. The image of Alex confronting Tess about what Khivar had done to
him wrenched at her heart. "Oh
God," she gasped, unable to catch her breath, as her tears choked her.
Kyle felt like he was watching a
train wreck; and he couldn't possibly turn away. As the memories continued to play, he watched Tess struggle with
Alex, while distracted by another voice.
Suddenly his body appeared in the glowing globe. It was like being transported back to that
night. The images within the globe
faded and he could see everything happening as he remembered. Alex was wailing as Tess mindwarped him; and
suddenly silence filled the room.
It didn't happen any other way.
Kyle clenched his fist and stared at
Maria sitting silently on the stool, with Max standing behind her, projecting
the lies that filled her head. He hated
her for it. He hated Tess for making
Liz and Maria relive a night he, himself, wished he could forget. When he was about to voice his objections
about the continuation of this massive lie, up on the flickering globe, Kyle
was startled at what he saw. Suddenly
an image of a dark, looming figure appeared.
He was hovering above Kyle on the screen.
The disturbing image remained fixed
in his mind. There was something
unnerving about the familiarity of seeing the person coming at him - and that
it was Alex was even more unsettling.
Unexpectedly, Kyle saw a white flash before his eyes. It blinded him for a moment, causing him to
press his palms against his eyes. He
stumbled back. What was happening?
A sudden, slow throbbing began to
penetrate his temples. When Kyle
attempted to open his eyes, contorting his face, trying to rid himself of the
blots - the kind he got from staring into a camera flash - in front of his
eyes, he was inundated with five-second flashes of Alex's face coming toward
him. There were dark circles under
Alex's eyes and he had alarming, malicious glint in his eyes.
Kyle closed his eyes and cradled his
head in his hands. "Uhh," he
gasped at the sharp stabbing pain that he felt just behind his eyes. Suddenly the image of Alex's face was gone
and all that was left was black.
Liz turned away from the memories
flashing before her, and glanced worriedly at Kyle. His focus had drifted from the projection and he had begun to
cradle his head. It was like something
was attacking him - attacking his mind.
She watched his body double over, and Kyle cry out in pain.
"Kyle!" she cried out in
alarm. "What's wrong?" She rushed to his side, holding his limp,
trembling body.
How much more would they endure?
Strangely, as Kyle felt Liz's arm
slide around his waist, he felt the sharp, stabbing pain fade. The images had stopped, and he found he
could now open his eyes. "I'm all
right." Kyle blinked several
times, testing his sight. "I'm all
right," he repeated, as he straightened up and looked around.
Liz looked skeptically as Kyle
pulled out from under her support.
"What the hell happened?"
Kyle turned and gazed down at Liz,
whose concern touched him, deeper than she knew. "I don't know," he whispered, his fingertips grazing
his temples. Turning around, Kyle faced
the continuing story flashing before them.
Alex was now lying unconscious on the floor, and he was looming over his
body. Tess spoke questioningly to him,
as if she were afraid of him.
"What's happening now?" he
asked quietly.
Liz followed Kyle's gaze back to the
projection Max was emitting. "I
don't know," she shrugged.
"The last thing I saw was Alex knocking you unconscious, and then
you screamed." Liz stared at Kyle,
scrutinizing his every move. He had
been in excruciating pain a minute ago, and now he stood there like nothing had
happened.
Kyle gazed uncertainly at Tess, who
was now pacing back and forth, as he put Alex's body into his car. It was different than what Tess had
confessed to, and also to the memories he had; Tess didn't seem the least bit
in control. He moved towards the energy
screen and reached out to touch the crease of worry etched on her forehead; his
hand passed through the almost-transparent video projection. "What did you do to me Tess?" he
whispered to himself.
Liz watched as Kyle whisper
something incoherent to the image before him.
She exhaled, trying to release the tension in her body. What was happening to them?
~ *
~
Max studied each image and event in
time that Tess had logged into Maria's memory.
He was scrupulous in his desire to resolve whether each event happened
according to the timeline, or whether some parts had been manufactured or
edited. There was no way he could let
this information remain unchecked.
As he stood watching Tess discover
Khivar had disposed of Alex's body, making it look like an accident, Max
studied each image for cuts, distortions of the memory. Though Tess and those with Tess' abilities
could draw images and present them in some light of truth, he knew that there
were still the telltale signs of a mindwarp.
And studying Tess' behavior and the dark light of the situation, it
didn't seem to have a ring of illusion or deception; in fact, Max thought that
it was all too graphic for a possible mindwarp. There was too much detail put into each memory. In a mindwarp, Max knew that it was difficult
to concentrate on the small details; for a person to be drawn in, they are made
to focus on the immediate danger or event, but there were so many other
thoughts and feelings he could discern from Tess.
Her memories seemed to leave an
imprint as he explored the night Alex died.
It was like he could almost physically hear and feel her thoughts and
the turmoil she went through. And Max
knew in his heart that this was no lie.
Tess had not killed Alex.
~~~
Where was she supposed to start? Isabel fretted as she drove out of town in her mother's
Oldsmobile. Her hands tightened round
the navy blue steering wheel, as her thoughts drifted to the horrible realities
Jesse could be facing.
Isabel had no idea where she was
driving, but she knew that she had to begin somewhere. So her instincts told her to start her
search in the desert. She had no idea
why that had been her first thought, but she listened to it. There were no other leads for her to follow.
Once she had driven 60 miles out of
town, Isabel pulled off to the side of the empty desert road. The landscape was barren, with the exception
of a few remnants of withering vegetation.
And though most of the desert was flat, there were the odd hills in the
foreground; but as far as Isabel's eyes could distinguish, the terrain was
nothing but a sea of copper.
Isabel felt sun beating down on her
back, as she stared out into the vastness.
She closed her eyes feeling frustrated and alone. "Why is this happening to me?" she
cried out loud. Isabel leaned against
the hood of her mother's vehicle.
"I don't even know why I'm out here!" She pushed herself off the car and took a
few steps out into the loose, sandy soil. Looking up defiantly at this Unseen
Being who had put her through more than she could ever have thought or
imagined.
"What are you going to do
now?" Isabel screamed into the dry, dusty wind. "What more can you do to me?" She kicked the dirt underneath her feet.
"You can't blame me for not
knowing who I am or what I'm here for!
That's not fair." Isabel
began to pace back and forth, running her fingers through her short hair, which
now felt course and gritty because of the blowing sand. "We've done the best we can. And you've made us pay a price for all of
it. Well I'm tired of it," she
spat.
Every time she voiced her anger and
confusion, Isabel was well aware of the silence that answered her. As her rebelliousness wound down into
nothing but a puddle of tears, Isabel fell to her knees and hit her fists
against the warm ground. "Please,"
she sobbed. "I don't know what you
want from me."
Suddenly the warm wind began to
settle, and Isabel felt a stillness fall upon the desert. Isabel tried to stifle her tears, choking
them down, and wiping her moist cheeks with the sleeve of her coat. "Hello?" she called hesitantly.
As she sat in the beating rays of
the hot sun, Isabel searched the desolate surroundings for any sign of
life. All she heard was the
intermittent moaning of the invisible wildlife. Seeing that there would be no reply, Isabel rose to return to the
car, shaking her head for being so foolish to think that there were clues or
answers out here. As she turned to
leave, she felt something drop from the pocket of her coat. Isabel bent down to pick up the small black
book. She dusted off the light coating
of dust that had settled upon its textured cover.
"Are you going to give me the
answers I need?" she asked the unassuming book.
Isabel wiped the beads of sweat that
had formed on her brow with the back of hand, all the while her eyes remained
fixed on the sacred text. Her thumb
grazed the leather cover, and the gold embossed letters. How could a book of such history possibly
help her in this instance?
She took a deep breath and closed
her eyes as the sound of the tissue-thin paper whirred, caressing her thumb;
and the slight breeze from the turning pages brushed a few stray tendrils
across her face. Please give me an
answer. Isabel opened her eyes and
opened the pages of the book known as 'The Bible'.
'4 Some wandered in desert
wastelands,
finding no way to a city where they could settle.
5 They were hungry and thirsty,
and their lives ebbed away.
6 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way
to a city where they could settle.
8 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men,
9 for he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.’
Ps.107:4-9'
Isabel frowned. Her eyes had instinctively fallen upon that
passage. She could not understand what
good that did her though. Here she was
in the desert, and she had yet to receive a sign that this brought her anywhere
closer to finding Jesse. Then she opens
this book and it speaks of a person wandering in the desert...
Suddenly an unexpected shiver ran
down her spine, giving her goose bumps.
Could Jesse possibly be out
there right now? Isabel frowned at
the impossibility that Jesse's captors would lead him out into this desert, and
the fact that this nagging feeling, and book, could have led her to Jesse. She shook her head and scoffed at the
incredulousness.
But deep in her gut, Isabel couldn't
help but be lifted up by the hope of it being true. As she stared out at the flat, open land, Isabel bit her bottom
lip and began her search by possibly 'believing'.
~~~
The General strode over to centre of
their operations. Several of his
lieutenants and captains were hovered over the tracking unit. "What is your report?" he barked. He was in no mood for polite courtesies.
The group of officers scrambled to
attention.
"Sir," said a nearby
captain, "we are preparing to intervene on the subjects behalf."
"Why?"
The captain looked straight ahead,
his eyes remaining on a distant focal point, as he was trained to do. "The subject has all but stopped
movements and there is no sign of contact with outside help."
The General nodded
thoughtfully. "Make it so,"
he replied. The human would be of no
use to them, if he were not kept alive to make contact with the enemy.
"Sir!" an officer
monitoring the subject's movements exclaimed from his seat. "We have a second life form in the
vicinity of the subject."
The General strode over to the black
monitor, which showed the radius and location of the monitored area, and two
green blinking dots. He leaned over the
operational controls, narrowing his eyes and grinning. "How long before contact?"
"Well if the life form
continues at this rate, the subject should fall into eye line in a few minutes,"
the operational controller informed.
"Good."
~~~
Jesse knew he was done. This was the end. He would die out in this desert - meat for the birds of prey.
As he closed his eyes, trying to
slow his breathing, which had become labored and painful, Jesse thought about
the life he would never get to live; and he thought about the things he would
never accomplish. Things had become out
of control since he discovered Isabel's secret.
"They weren't kidding when they
said, 'Ignorance is bliss'," Jesse gasped, choking on the dust he had
inhaled while crawling across the desert.
He shook his head. What a
time for a joke.
While he waited for the approach of
the shadow of death, Jesse licked his chapped lips, as if his tongue would
bring relief to the dull throbbing he felt.
As Jesse lay flat with the sun above him, as if pounding him into the
ground, almost driving him into his grave, he imagined that he heard the
rumblings of a vehicle - its vibrations shaking the ground beneath him. With the last ounce of strength he had left,
Jesse rolled himself onto his stomach, lifting his head to peer a few metres in
front of him.
What he saw was nothing new. In the past hour, his delusions had become
distinctively real. Jesse couldn't
count how many times he had imagined seeing Isabel standing over him and
comforting him. Now though, his
hallucinations involved an approaching vehicle. It was vividly real; he never knew his mind could deceive him
into feeling the vibrations of an approaching car.
Jesse wanted to laugh in despair,
but his body was unable to produce the unconscious response. He was so tired. If he could just have a moment's rest, he could go on; maybe
he could pull himself a few feet closer to salvation. Jesse opened his eyes once more to see the
hallucination continue. The vehicle had
stopped and now he saw Isabel emerging from the car. It was another version of his earlier dreams of rescue. But it was just a dream.
Jesse acknowledged somberly to
himself that there would be no rescue.
And with that, he lowered his eyelids, unable to fight the desire to
give into never-ending sleep.
~~~
"Jesse!" Isabel stumbled from the car and ran to the
limp figure in the distance.
"Jesse, is that you?" she called out. Her heart was pounding, as she was only a
few feet from the unidentifiable man.
She had driven in the direction of
the setting sun when she noticed a flock of birds circling overhead in the
distance. It was hope above all hopes
to think that Jesse might be collapsed in the uninhabitable desert.
Isabel dropped to her knees and
turned the unmoving man over onto his back.
He was heavy, and barely breathing, if breathing at all. Her hands trembled as she brushed away the
soft sand from his face. She had found
him. She had found Jesse.
~~~
"Contact has been made,"
the operational controller reported happily.
The General smiled, clasping his
hands together. "Good," he
smirked. "Let me know when we have
located Zan and the others."
Khivar would be pleased. Soon they would be rid of the threat to
Khivar's galactic reign.
He would see to it that 'The
Chosen One' would perish under his hands.
Perhaps he would even have the pleasure of striking the final blow. The thought pleased the General. His eyes darkened as he saw the ease in
which his plans were falling into place.
There was no possibility of failure
- not at this rate.